A Mother's Knight
by The Omnipresent Sage
Summary: Another scenario of what if? Kushina lived through to raise Her son. What happens when Naruto sole precious person is his mother? What sort of plan will the Sandaime cook to make Naruto happy, when he realizes that the blond would rather see the village burn than save it?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a sunny day in the Village Hidden in Leaves. The streets were bursting with kids and the usual joy that lightened the atmosphere when a certain blond wasn't taking his weekly stroll through the streets. It was always like that: should that certain someone walk through the streets, the joy vanishes into thin air, and a new kind of feeling marches through the streets with a demonic stare that threatens to devour one person and one person only.

The beginning had not been in this form and shape: the village had seen better days. The hatred, unbearable hatred was birthed when the Kyuubi appeared in a cloud of smoke, and then went on a killing spree inside the village - it had been summoned by a mad Uchiha. The only thought was destruction and destruction was what the Bijuu dished out. Konoha had never seen such tragedy occurring right in its front yard since it's founding, but 7 years ago, the worst happened.

The spoiled child that has always had someone with big weapons and a large shield to protect it was finally beat up, by the one being that couldn't be killed. In its early years, Konoha always had the likes of the Shodai Hokage, a revered God of shinobi, the Nidaime, the God of Water, and The Sandaime, the Professor, the God of shinobi, the Yondaime as well, hailed as Konoha's yellow flash. With its first beating, Konoha learned to hate, and they'd held onto their hatred for years and it didn't seem as if they were going to let go any time soon.

The world had turned against the Yondaime's wishes; Instead of celebrating in joy with a hero, Konoha labored in hatred, troubled with thoughts of vengeance, yet powerless to do anything. They probably weren't like ''who cares what a dead man thinks?'' The Yondaime Hokage is dead, he couldn't feel what they felt.

In all his life Naruto has known that Konoha hates him. Aside from the love his mother gave him, the other feeling he had learned to know was hatred. He saw it everyday of his life, he saw it in his bloody nightmares, he saw it in the eyes of the ignorant fools that crawled around the village streets on a daily basis. He didn't think or believe for a second that such a hateful village could ever learn to love, all it knew was hatred.

For the past 7 years Naruto has been dodging bullets of death glares and fangs of curses that have been constantly thrown at him. Each time he took a walk around the village, his presence only managed to attract the worst things that lurk behind the shadows to walk into daylight. If there were vampires in Konoha, they would walk through the sunny streets just to murder him with their glares if he chose to entertain them, by parading himself while he dances to the beat of the hatred.

Life has not been easy for him. He has been forced to be an adult, he was forced to grow up, understand things at a tender age, all because of one decision one foolish person made. Minato had cursed both him and his mother's life by choosing to make him a Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and then die.

His mother always tells him the story on his birthday, the story of the day he was born, the story of a nine-tailed mountain tall furball wreaking havoc in the village. It was some cursed fate that the day he was born, that masked fool chose to rip the Kyuubi out of his mother and force it to attack Konoha. Naturally, being Konoha's leader, his stupid father chose to stuff the Bijuu in his gut, the day he was born. Worst of all, he pathetically died, leaving him to carry the burden with his poor mother, the only person he truly loves.

No one cared who he was related to, as long as he was Uzumaki Naruto, Kushina's son and the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, Konoha would always hate him, it would always curse his existence. His mother was forced to watch this happen, she was forced to watch her only child learn to hate, she was forced to helplessly watch the hero twisted into a villain that was one attack away from being stoned to death.

Naruto didn't care about his pain, but his mother's pain was greater. For her sake, he had been forced to grow. Because of his mother's pain, Naruto has learned to hate two things: the Uchiha who started it by extracting the Kyuubi from his mother and the ignorant monkeys that paraded in the village wearing the masks of humans.

There were so many days that Naruto stood at the Hokage Monument, just to stare down at the village that reeked of hatred. He could now even curse from A to Z. No matter how many times he looked at this forsaken village, and asked himself, was his and his mother's pain worth saving these fools? The answer was always no. He could be used as a pawn for all he cared, but his mother? She was too precious to suffer the torment Minato's choice has made her go through.

Itachi flashed beside Naruto at the Hokage Monument: the blond was wearing short dark blue pants, a red shirt with the Uzumaki swirl printed on the front in white; he also wore dark blue shinobi boots, coupled with bandages around his wrists. His hair stood in all its spiky blond, cerulean blue eyes, and the whisker marks. The last piece was an impassive mask that the Uchiha was positive his mother has only seen on a few occasions, despite the mask being forever present.

The genius Uchiha took off his Anbu mask, before looking down on the village. The past years haven't been easy, to the Uchiha and the Uzumaki. When Kushina confirmed that it had been indeed an Uchiha who extracated the Kyuubi from her, his clan had been dealt a major blow. No one trusted them anymore. They blamed them for the attack. For the Uzumaki, Naruto held the Bijuu, much worse when it became public that Kushina had held the Bijuu as well.

How long has it been? He thought things would change over the years. But the waters do not seem like they are going to dry up any time soon. The only thing that made him smile were that the main suspects, Uchiha and Uzumaki have always stuck together, no matter what.

Itachi glanced at the seven year old beside him: he respected Shisui, but there was no one he respected more than this boy. He may dislike the boys obvious 'no love' for the villagers, but the blond had the will of a war hardened shinobi. Itachi has never seen the blond cry, he has never seen him look weak and vulnerable, despite the fact that each street in Konoha was a curse to him.

The villagers may play ball with him, they may roast him under the lights of the stars on the 10th of october, they may drag him through the very pits of hell, but Naruto always came up without tears, he always came up looking strong, with a mask of defiance and impassiveness. He was just seven, a Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the most hated person a Konoha; has been insulted every day of his life from A to Z, but Itachi has never seen him shed tears.

''My mother has cried enough,'' It was the response Itachi got from the blond when he questioned. To Naruto, his mother's tears were enough, there was no need for him to waste his tears as well.

His little brother was spoiled, a baby, he was no Naruto. The blond had yet to kill, but Itachi had no doubt that he wouldn't flinch if someone got killed before his very eyes. How he wished his foolish little brother was strong as this boy. Perhaps it was because Sasuke was sheltered, he had everything he needed. Naruto had to fight lions in order to feed. The blond had nothing, but fought for everything he had.

Itachi respected that. He may have graduated from the academy at 7, but he was no Naruto. His younger brother was already in the academy, and the blond had yet to join, but he was still no Naruto. There was no one like him. He and Naruto shared something: they were willing to do anything possible and impossible to protect what they loved. What exactly... That was a story for another day.

''They let you out so soon today?''

''My assignments were completed,'' Itachi said. ''The sight is pleasant isn't it?''

''Depends on where you're looking...''

There were so many times that Itachi has asked the question, and Naruto always gave the exact answer, said in the exact tone. He never missed a beat, almost like he just played a record on the previous time he asked the question. even so, as long as they still maintained their 'friendship', he would not stop asking the question, not until Naruto gives him a different answer.

It remains to be seen if Naruto's answer will change, just as it remains to be seen if Konoha will ever change its attitude towards the blond. Itachi could only hope. The hope may the thin as a needle, but it was something. Something Itachi could hold on to and press on with the march of life.

''You should come to Anbu HQ with me. I can simply say you're my apprentice and wish to join the Anbu,'' he was a captain, and he believed that Naruto could learn a few things.

''A little appealing, but no thanks. I have no interest in becoming an Anbu,'' Naruto knew exactly what being Anbu meant, and he had no interest in following along those lines. He had no desire to protect this village, not even in his worst nightmare.

''You don't have to join the Anbu. In the past months, I've not had time to honor our meetings because of the overload of work I have to do for both the Sandaime, and Danzo,'' Itachi said. ''I also have my responsibilities as a member of the Uchiha clan.''

Naruto turned to face Itachi: he gave the Uchiha a look, offered no sympathy whatsoever. He then looked down at the village once more before opening his mouth, ''Your love for Konoha truly knows no bounds,'' the blond said. ''No wonder your family is envious...''

''I'm a shinobi of this village, my loyalty was sworn to this village, it's only natural that I love it.''

''Yes, but there should be limits. Konoha didn't bring you to this world, the Uchiha did.'' Naruto said. He didn't go further on the matter. ''You can spend two weeks away from the village, I can't be away from mother for that long - she needs me.''

''My mother will be with her when we're away. The Uchiha clan will always protect her, besides, like my mother, your mother was a Jonin. She doesn't need a brat to protect her.''

Naruto still shook his head. The thought of leaving his mother for two weeks was no different that staring down into abyss. He couldn't leave his mother.

''In your current state, you can't protect anyone, Naruto. If someone like me chose to attack your mother, what could you possibly do? Could you defend her when you can't even lay a hand on me?''

Naruto frowned, clenched his fists, and remained quiet for a few moments. ''I will talk to mother about it.'' He finally said.

Itachi nodded before standing up. ''Come, let us get some lunch before heading towards our training ground.''

Later

If Itachi had been with his beloved younger brother, he would've been carrying him over his shoulders, but with Naruto, it was a different story. No matter how tired the blond was, he always refused to be carried. If he was exhausted, he would rather sit and allow his body to rest before heading home. The rare moments he carried the blond was when he was out cold.

Naruto prefered pushing forward if he had the strength. He didn't accept anyone's hand unless it was absolutely necessary. He didn't take things from anyone. He liked to earn whatever it was that he was given. Itachi could safely say that the blond had been forced to be like this because he had nothing in the beginning, but earned what he has.

''My attempts in the Fireball are really pitiful,'' Naruto said as the two walked towards Itachi's house, at the Uchiha compound. Sasuke did better than him in this area, and that bothered him greatly.

''Your progress is nothing to complain about, Naruto. Unlike Sasuke, you had to learn to convert your chakra into Fire type. Your natural affinity is Wind, so learning Fire based jutsu was always going to be difficult,'' Still, though the blond failed to see it, his progress was not good. If Fire was his natural affinity, he would've learned the jutsu faster than Sasuke.

''That may be so, but I'd hoped to be done by now,'' a frown settled on his face for a few moments as he stared at his failure. ''I should get the Sandaime to teach me Wind manipulation. You're more of a Fire person, and can't offer anything I would consider useful.''

Itachi took no offence in those words: he wasn't a wind user after all. ''Will he be able to do so? He does have a lot to do.''

Naruto shrugged, ''Depends on how I ask,'' he said before falling silent.

Itachi shook his head: Naruto really took advantage of the Sandaime's good nature whenever the opportunity presented itself. Well, the old man was always more than willing to help the blond. He felt guilty for failing to make Naruto's life better, and giving in to the blond's desires helped sooth his burdened soul a bit.

The two slowly but surely made their way towards Itachi's house, where they were going to have dinner together, with the Uzumaki as they did every Friday for the past three years.

''Nii-san,'' Sasuke beamed up, seeing his older brother return home, just in time for dinner. ''You're a little late today...''

Itachi smiled slightly at his beloved brother, ''I was a little busy,'' he said.

Just then, Naruto walked behind the Uchiha, making Sasuke frown. He looked at his brother after noting that Naruto had some bruises on him, ''Were you out training with him, again?''

Itachi nodded.

Sasuke folded his hands across his chest, puffed his cheeks a bit as he pouted, ''You never take me to the training field these days, Nii-san. You're always with him...''

Itachi ruffled up Sasuke's hair, making the younger Uchiha red a bit with embarrassment: he hated it when his brother did something like that in front of Naruto, ''I will take you tomorrow, and it will just be the two of us.''

''Really?'' Sasuke almost shouted. His brother gave a small nod before walking past him. Sasuke was left with the brother stealler, ''Naruto,'' he grunted.

''Sasuke,'' Naruto responded with a grunt of his own. ''Has my mother arrived?''

''No,'' Sasuke said.

Naruto said nothing in response: he simply turned and headed towards the exit. Sasuke didn't need to be told where the blond was going, he already knew: Naruto was going to wait for his mother outside.

After Naruto disappeared from his sight, Sasuke smiled. He sped towards his brother's room for some alone time with Itachi. They didn't get enough of those moments these days, especially with Naruto around, and Itachi working for the Anbu.

It didn't start like this. Things were good for him, but it started to change when his father permitted Naruto's mother to move into their compound after some villagers had continuously harassed them by breaking the windows of their house. Since then, the two Uzumaki spent most of their night time in this house.

''Sasuke,'' Mikoto called, seeing her younger son speeding past the kitchen. ''Is Naruto waiting for his mother outside?''

Sasuke nodded.

''What did I tell you?''

Sasuke frowned, but didn't repeat what his mother had told him regarding Naruto's behavior. ''But Kaa-san, Nii-san is home and I want to spend some time with him.''

Mikoto raised her index finger, ''No buts Sasu-chan. Go wait with him. You will have your time with Itachi after dinner.''

Sasuke stared at his mother, who stared back, ''Fine,'' he said.

''There is no need to force yourself,'' Naruto said, coming into the view with his mother while holding her right hand.

Sasuke looked straight at the blond for a few moments before looking at his mother, ''Can I go now?'' Naruto always sucked the energy out of his system when he looked into his eyes.

Mikoto nodded, ''Don't take too long. Tell your brother to hurry up as well,'' Sasuke was already heading up the stairs. The ex-jounin looked at her friend and her son before smiling, ''Ah, that boy really does love his brother.''

''Almost like how someone I know dotes on his mother,'' Kushina said, walking over to Mikoto. ''At least you don't have your son following you wherever you go whenever he gets the chance.''

Mikoto smiled, looking down at the small form of Naruto, ''He has changed you know. Two years ago, he couldn't be away from your sight for an hour without going hysterical.''

It didn't matter that the blond was right there with them.

Kushina chuckled at the thought of those memories, ''Remind me to get Itachi a sword as a thank you for the change he brought to my son.''

The following day

Ichiraku Ramen

Kakashi's eyes subtly glanced at the blond on his right, sitting on a stool while eating his second bowl of miso ramen. Even though the glance was a steal, the Jounin knew that Naruto would notice his eyes - there was hardly any eye that could stare at his figure that he wouldn't notice. The spoils of being the most hated person in Konoha. The blond had to look over his shoulder each time he walked through the village, just in case someone foolish tried anything.

Getting one over the blond for a civilian was unlikely though. Naruto may not be able to defend himself against a shinobi, but he wouldn't allow himself to be beaten by a civilian. If that happened, it was his pride being beaten. He has watched the blond avoid blows from civilians after he had insulted them for their ignorance and foolishness. No one in the village has ever laid a hand on the blond, no one would even dare should he be with his mother.

Kushina wasn't afraid to rip the intestines out of anyone who as much as glared to her son. Worse, she had to be restrained if someone insulted her son or called him 'demon' in her very presence. The former Jounin had killed someone with her chakra chains for insulting both her and Naruto, even worse, spitting on the blond. You could insult Kushina Uzumaki, but you never went after her son. There was a limit there, and anyone who went past it, had suffered the consequences.

''When are you going to join the academy?'' Kakashi asked before adding, ''The others in your age group are already a part of the academy. Sasuke started last year...''

Naruto shrugged indifferently, ''I don't want to and I won't join the academy. It is not a necessity for me to join when it won't offer me anything that supplement my way of life.''

''You can't become a shinobi of you don't go through the academy, Naruto,'' Everyone went to the academy, even the Third was once an academy student. Even he went to the academy, the Three Legendary Sannins went to the academy.

''I don't have to be a shinobi to protect mother,'' Naruto simply said.

Being a shinobi also meant he had to provide services to Konoha, and he didn't want any of that. Perhaps if he was forced to supply for both him and his mother, then he would consider the path of a shinobi. But as it stands. Being a shinobi was not in his plans. If he got the right training, he would eventually be strong enough to protect his mother and insure that she was safe, always.

If there was anything detested, is was fighting for the protection of this rotten village. It was only good for him now because it offered both him and his mother protection. This protection did come at a cost though, but it was better than living on the run. As long as he he had his mother and she had him, they couldn't be miserable with their lives.

Kakashi sighed: even in his current form, Naruto would stand in front of something as fearsome as the Kyuubi if the cause was to protect his mother. The boy may be smart, but when it came to protecting his mother, Naruto loses all sense of reason and rationality. ''Well, Sasuke will hop into all the glory at the academy. Don't you know, he is already seen as the genius in his class.''

Sasuke's efforts were good for his clan. Itachi was seen as the 'only' light in the Uchiha clan, but if Sasuke grew well, he would lift the shadows cast upon the clan with the help of his beloved brother. Kakashi didn't believe for a second that Sasuke would do better than Naruto if the blond was in the same space as him. Naruto's forced maturity made him think more broader than Sasuke.

Once again, Naruto shrugged, ''He can take all the glory. It is good for the Uchiha,'' not that he cared that much anyway. ''Academy glory doesn't help protect my mother, but being strong enough to withstand all foes protects her.''

The only person who was going to make the blond go to the academy was Kushina. Naruto's mother has talked to him about it, but she's never gone that extra mile to make him go even though he doesn't want to. Kakashi also knew that Naruto didn't want to go to the academy because it would rob him of the time he could spend with his mother.

''Kakashi,'' Naruto started, his tone quiet - this automatically alerted the Jounin that the blond wanted to know his opinion on a matter he was dealing with. ''Itachi wishes me to follow him in Anbu.''

Kakashi frowned. The life of an Anbu was full of secrets and it wasn't one he would wish for anyone. However, Naruto was a different matter. Granted that he has been through hell already, the world of Anbu would suit him better than being in the academy. It would also give him the strength he needed to protect that which was precious to him. To be honest, the academy offered nothing in building a strong shinobi.

Still, what would Minato-sensei say about this? Minato would want his son to live his childhood to the fullest. Ah, who was he kidding? With the choice the Yondaime made, Naruto couldn't possibly enjoy a normal life under the circumstances that surrounded him. Besides, it wasn't like what his sensei thinks matters to Naruto anyway.

''What do you think?'' Kakashi asked, feeling it was better to hear the blond's opinion before he gives his own answer.

''It will help me mentally. Let us be honest, my life will only become messier when I grow up, so I will need to have the physical and mental strength to deal with everything. Working behind the scenes with the Anbu will develop me in all ways.''

Kakashi nodded, ''But?''

''I don't want to be an Anbu: Itachi says I don't have to be one, but just do this with him to learn a few things. Secondly, it will rob me of my time with mother. I despair in the thought of leaving her in this hell for too long...''

''I'm wounded that you don't trust me enough to protect your mother, Naruto,'' Kakashi said, both jokingly and seriously. Naruto knew that he had been the one protecting his mother during the time she carried him, so he should have a little trust in him.

Naruto gave a simple response, ''Mother is all I have.''

Kakashi understood perfectly. If something happened to his mother, Naruto wouldn't mind releasing the Kyuubi and watch this village burn to the ground. Kushina was the only 'family' Naruto had, and the only person Naruto was emotionally attached, for real.

Once more again, Kakashi sighed: things have changed a bit, but before Itachi, Naruto was always beside his mother, and he wasn't below giving anyone a threatening stare for coming between him and his beloved mother. Naruto's world was made of Kushina Uzumaki and Kushina only. Naruto himself now no longer lived in that world. The blond was willing to dive into anything as long as it meant protecting his beloved mother.

It was a concern for Konoha that Naruto had no love the village. Somewhere in the offices of Anbu HQ, Naruto was marked as an S-rank flight risk. It was a fact that no one could deny, not even the Sandaime. No matter how much he loves the blond. The only reason the blond was even in Konoha was because his mother didn't want to abandon the village her husband died protecting. Even if he leaves, Naruto was smart enough to realize that it would only risk his mother's life as they would be marked as missing-nins.

There was something that Naruto was not willing to do: risk his mother's life. They were secure in Konoha, regardless of the treatment they received. If anyone so much as risked her life, then they would see the demon lying under that mask of indifference. There was a line around Kushina, and no one was supposed to cross it, not even Naruto.

''Have you talked to her about it?'' Kakashi finally asked.

Naruto gave a slight shake of his head, ''no.".

''You should,'' Kakashi said. ''Given everything, it shouldn't be bad for you, and it would be enough to get the elders off your back as they will think you're on the road to serve the village. It should also build you up,'' the Jounin said.

''Don't you want to say that my life is already screwed up that Anbu cannot do anything but make things a little better?'' Naruto said, eying the lazy nin

Kakashi shrugged carelessly, ''I don't have to say it, even your mother already knows this,'' though it took some doing for her to accept that Naruto lost his childhood some time ago. He didn't even have a friend his age.

''You have a grim way of looking at your life, Naruto,'' a 14 year old Ayame said, smiling sadly as she walked over to the counter, holding another bowl of ramen for Naruto.

''I'm just being realistic,'' Naruto said.

Ayame shook her head slightly. It was really sad just watching him. A 7 year old who hung around men old enough to be his father. If he wasn't eating with the Sandaime, it was Kakashi, or Itachi. Four times a week it was with his mother, and there were those rare moments you'd see Jiraiya sitting beside the blond - it was always awkward silence though.

''I told you allow me to change things for you, but you continuously refuse. If you'd accepted my help long ago, you would be having a wide grin on your face about now,'' Ayame said, with a wide smile, fist pump up as if she could clearly see her favorite blond smiling at her.

''I doubt it,'' Naruto responds before digging in on his third and last bowl of ramen.

Ayame merely sighed before walking away.

''My beloved son must be abandoning the love he once had for his mother,'' Kushina's voice sounded, causing both Naruto and Kakashi to smile. ''Don't you love your Kaa-chan anymore, Naru-chan? Not long ago, you refused to eat without your poor old mother.''

As the red haired Uzumaki woman settled down beside her son, Naruto responded with an expression that would surprise most: a somewhat happy look that was complemented by the smile on his lips. ''Don't say that, Kaa-san. You know I will always love you.''

Kakashi sighed: Kushina was teasing, but the seriousness in Naruto's tone made it obvious that he didn't know. Well, it shouldn't be unexpected given that he never jokes about loving his mother. ''Sometimes I wonder if he really is smart as he has shown to be...''

Kushina merely chuckled, ruffling up Naruto's hair, causing the ever so stoic blond to blush in embarrassment. ''Mother, not in front of Kakashi!''

''Why? Don't you like your mother's affection anymore?'' Kushina gave a mock hurt look, which, ridiculously, Naruto failed to notice.

The blond held up his hands in a defensive manner, facing his mother. ''Its not that. I just mean that...''

Kushina placed her index finger on Naruto's lips, shutting him up, ''I'm just teasing,'' she said with a warm smile. ''Now, finish up so we can go buy you something new to wear.''

Naruto nodded.

Kakashi smiled, seeing Naruto acting like a normal brat in front of his mother. It was refreshing to see the blond smile. His smile only widened in front of his mother though. But the fact that it was real made him happy. ''Well, let me leave you two alone,'' Kakashi said before disappearing in a puff of smoke, but not before handing Ayame the bill for his food.

''I'm so jealous of you,'' Ayame said to Kushina. ''You can get Naruto to show all kinds of emotions, but I can't even get him to smile.''

Naruto came here everyday, and Ayame has never seen him displaying more than one emotion, if any at all, to someone other than his mother. The Sandaime rarely receives a tiny smile in those rare occasions along with Kakashi; with his Uchiha friend, both were depressing. She'd never seen them smile ever since they started coming to the ramen stand together.

Kushina smiled, ''Well, I am his mother: a mother knows her child best,'' she said, looking at her beloved Naru-chan.

She knew it wasn't easy for him, it wasn't easy for her either. He may be indifference to most things, but Kushina was happy just knowing that her Naruto was able to smile a real smile and blush in embarrassment when she was around. At least she offered him happiness. She wanted him to have more, but that seemed unlikely. Regardless, she was happy that she was alive to raise her child.

7 years ago, she watched Minato seal the Kyuubi in their son, while in her weakened state, she held the Bijuu with her chakra chains. The Dead-demon consuming seal cost Minato his life. She regretted teaching him that seal. Her family had other ways of sealing Bijuu's without the need to sacrifice one's soul to the Shinigami, she should have looked harder and showed him a better seal.

But that was that. This was reality. A reality she has learned to embrace... For the sake of her son, and her own well-being.

Minutes later

''Mother, I don't want these pants!'' Naruto said strongly, glaring at the red short pants his mother was trying to make him wear. He'd come to to realize that if he doesn't start saying no, his mother was going to make him wear a dress one day, just to embarrass him.

''But, Naru-chan, they will look good on you. Don't you want to match the color of your pants with your mother's hair?'' Kushina said, holding out a pair of red shorts. She really thought they'd look good on him, but her son didn't agree with her sentiments.

''Your hair is beautiful mother: I would have even prefered it if I was born with red hair like yours, but I will not wear those pants!''

Kushina sighed, ''Fine, but you know they don't have your size at Hisaragi's,'' she said.

Regaining his composure, Naruto spoke, ''We can always order,'' he said.

Ordering clothes would cost more, but she was willing to do anything for her son. ''I got you something,'' Kushina said, bringing out a red scarf, ''Do you like it?''

Naruto beamed up, ''Yes mother,'' he said. He took the crimson cloth and washed it over his face before speaking once more, ''It's, not soft as your hair, but still wonderful,'' he then grabbed his mothers hand, dragging her to the counter so that she could pay.

''Hold up, Naru-chan,'' Kushina said. ''Don't you want anything else?'' the blond shook his head, no.

''He seems happy today,'' Takada, the shop owner said, looking down at the smiling blond.

''He should be; his mother just got him something nice,'' Kushina said, handing out the money for the piece of cloth.

This was just one of the two clothing shops the two could buy clothes without being overpriced or getting a disturbing glare from the shop owner. This man, Takada, was really nice towards them. Perhaps it was because he has known Kushina for a long time as she has been buying her clothes from this shop from her younger days. This was one of the stores that sold 'Uzumaki.'

''Come back again when you want something,'' Takada said, as mother and son walked away from the counter, having purchased their item.

Lost in thought, Naruto bumped into someone at the door, causing him to fall back. The man he'd hit - middle aged, short black hair, fair skin, civilian clothing - glared down at the blond, ''Watch where you're going vermin...'' he snarled as the blond got up.

The temperature went cold drastically, ''Excuse me?'' Kushina started, a murderous aura surrounding her. ''What did you just call my son? I dare you to repeat it!'' the woman looked more of a demon than a beautiful and sweet Uzumaki woman she was.

The culprlt, smiled nervously, heart racing.. It was certain that if he answered incorrectly, he would not see the light again. Honestly, between the blond and the woman, the mother was the real demon. He was saved when Naruto grabbed his mother's right hand.

''Mother, leave it be. This filth is not worth your wrath,'' Naruto said, the cheery demeanor all but a memory. ''Besides, you shouldn't dirty your hands by touching such a despicable monkey.''

The fear of was quickly replaced by anger in the man when he heard Naruto speak, ''What did you just-''

Naruto turned his face, gave the man a very, very nasty look that was enough to make him trip while moving back unconsciously. Once more smiling, Naruto faced his mother to calm her down. ''Come mother, I want to show you the progress I made with the seal you taught me.''

Naruto didn't give his mother a chance to cast one last threatening glare because he started dragging her away. ''Slow down, Naruto,'' Kushina said.

''Sorry,'' Naruto apologized.

Kushina shrugged it off, ''I'm surprised that you're making good progress with your fuuinjutsu. Well, this confirms one thing, you're truly my son.''

Naruto smiled. How soothing it felt just to hear his mother say those words. Fuuinjutsu was an art that his mother did better than anyone in the village. Minato may have been hailed as a master, but many of the seals he knew were taught to him by Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto wanted nothing more than to make his mother proud by excelling in whatever she taught. He swore to even to do it better than that man.

Two days later

This was the house she once shared with Minato, her beloved Yellow Flash, but now he was no more. He disappeared along with the cold breeze that washed over Konoha 7 years ago. No matter what, this was hers and Naruto's home, their house, just the two of them.

The Uchiha compound offered them some security and comfort, and it was fun hanging out with the main family, Fugaku's family. Well, it was fun for her at least. She always had Mikoto to cheer her up. Both were retired Jounin who now took care of their families. It was a different matter for Naruto though: her son got along with Itachi and Mikoto, but when it came to Sasuke, it was another matter, and she hasn't figured out his relationship with the Uchiha clan leader.

Kushina smiled looking at her son: they were sitting beside the dining table, having their 'family' dinner. This was their home. This was everything that Minato had left them. The burden was outside. Sometimes unbearable, sometimes she got bloody urges to kill people, but this right here made up for all for it: a quiet family time with her son, seeing much more of his beautiful smile.

''Something wrong, mother?'' Naruto asked, seeing the look his mother was giving him instead of stuffing down her meal.

Kushina shook her head before going back to her meal. Silence settled in as mother and son ate their dinner, both deep inside their thoughts. Naruto broke the silence, ''Itachi wants to take me as his apprentice as that would pass my presence in the Anbu.''

Kushina frowned slightly, ''He wants you to join, Anbu?''

Naruto gave a nod, ''But I turned that down. He pointed out that following him will represent a good opportunity for me to learn. I don't have to necessarily join Anbu...''

''I would rather you join the academy,'' Kushina said.

Naruto simply nodded, and that meant one thing: he was going to tell Itachi that he couldn't do it. But he wasn't looking forward to joining the academy either. He had seen Kakashi pathetically fail many academy graduates, and he knew that they didn't graduate as real shinobi but mere hopefuls.

Once dinner was done, Kushina took their plates and went to the sink to wash with Naruto following behind. While the mother washed, the son placed the plates in the cupboard. ''Have you considered making friends your age, Naruto?''

Naruto shook his head. His response didn't take a second to follow, ''No,'' he said. ''The only friend I need is you.''

Not that it wasn't pleasing to hear her son say that, Kushina still shook her head. ''You need to make friends Naruto, friends your own age. I'd thought you get along with Sasuke, but that went down the drain when he became jealous of your relationship with Itachi.''

Naruto looked at his mother curious, ''Why is making friends that important? I have you, and that is that matters.''

Kushina didn't want to force Naruto to do anything he didn't want to, but at things stand, she would have to do so for his own good. ''Even I had friends, Naruto, and I do have a friend now. A friend is someone you laugh with, someone to can depend on, someone like Sasuke's mother.''

''But I do with you,'' Naruto pointed out, making Kushina sigh.

This would have to do another day: it has been a long day and she needed to rest. Once they finished doing the dishes, they went towards the living room, but didn't stay there for two long, ''Do you want me to read you a bedtime story?''

''I'm too old for that,'' Naruto said.

''You're just my baby boy, Naru-chan,'' Kushina said, knowing that it would only make Naruto frown. While he enjoyed being showered with affection by his mother, he also liked for her to see him as a grown up, despite being just seven year old.

Kids these days.

''Let's get you bed, shall we?''

Naruto nodded with a small smile, allowing his mother to take him towards his room. It was a neat room that had a small bed pressed against the wall opposite to the door, a drawer on the left side of the bed, Kushina watched quietly as Naruto got into bed. Once he settled, she sat down on the edge, held her hands together between her thighs. She didn't like showing Naruto a sad smile, but this place always brought it out.

''I'd imagined that your father would be here, with me when tucking you to bed,'' Kushina said quietly. ''While I was still carrying you, I thought we were going to have the perfect family: just you, me and Minato-baka.''

All the more reasons to hate that cursed Uchiha who pulled out the Kyuubi from his mother, forcing it to attack Konoha. If it hadn't been for that masked man, none of this would have happened. His mother would've been smiling, Konoha wouldn't be tormenting them. Perhaps he would have been given the chance to see that idiotic grin Kushina had said Minato would carry in some cases. But one man had changed fate, he had changed things for him. No, more like screwed it up. And for that reason, Naruto would be more than happy to mutilate the evil bastard who has caused his mother pain.

''I told Minato that you also needed a father, that I couldn't do it alone, but he said I could. I'd offered to reseal the Kyuubi within me again, but he was thinking about the future.''

Two things Minato did and thought right: sealing the Kyuubi in him instead of his mother, and saying she could raise him well. He didn't care if he could be used as a sacrifice or turned into a guinea pig, as long as his mother wasn't put in any of that, Naruto Uzumaki would always know how to smile. His mother had also raised him well, so much better that he didn't have any complaints but to be thankful everyday for being birthed by her.

''You have not failed as a mother: you have raised me well, and have taken good care of me. If they gave awards for best mothers, I would give you a crown of gold every sunrise for being the best mom,'' Naruto said with a smile. ''You're the best, and I couldn't have asked for a better mother than you. You are all I need.''

Kushina turned towards her son, offered him a warm smile, ''And I couldn't have asked for a better child than you,'' a sad smile replaced the warmth in her, ''I'm sorry you were forced to grow up so fast, Naru-chan. I wish you had lots of friends, played with other kids in the park...''

Naruto closed his eyes: he may have grown so fast, but his mind still needed all the rest it deserved, ''You make up for everything, mother. Your smile is worth a lot of friends.''

Smiling once more, Kushina rose up, ''Thank you, Naruto,'' she said, leaning down before placing a soft kiss on Naruto's forehead. ''Good night, sochi.''

''Sleep well, okaa-san.''

Midnight

As always in situations, like this, more precisely, when his gut felt the spiritual waves sending him a message that something was wrong with his mother, Naruto has always woken up without a second pause to confirm whether the gut feeling was right or not. When it concerned his mother, Naruto didn't need to confirm anything. All that was needed for him was to be a good son to his mother and nothing else.

The night sounds didn't bother Naruto for a moment as he walked through the lightless passages of the home he shares with his mother. The world could turn into a lake of lava, but he wouldn't even spare it a glance while his gut grumbles something about his mother.

Naruto reached his mother's room and gently opened the door. The room was dark, but his eyes could make the image of his mother quite perfectly. The soft yet sad sound of her melodious voice crying reached his ears, and Naruto only knew one thing.

Comfort mother.

Situations like this have occurred in the past and it happened on about two or three nights in a year. He knew of it from age four, and that was when he had stopped crying. His mother was crying, he didn't need to add more to it. Her tears were more than enough for two of them. Ever since he made a promise to never cry again, Naruto has never shed a single tear.

Naruto walked over to his mother's bed: she had a picture of her and Minato, smiling like a couple of idiots, pressed against her chest. There were so many instances where Naruto thought of burning down every memory of Minato in this house, but he couldn't do it. Still, the fact that his mother was crying, because one man had died, brought out the worst feelings in him, and made him remember the negative feeling he first held.

Before Naruto hated Konoha, he hated Minato for leaving his mother. Kushina Uzumaki would not be crying if that man had still been alive, but she was crying because he had chosen to die to save thousands of ungrateful monkeys. The one person he hated enough that he'd vowed to kill is the masked man who extracted the Kyuubi from his beloved mother. If it hadn't been him, Minato would've been here and his mother wouldn't be crying.

Naruto cleared his thoughts before taking the picture frame from his mother. Once done, he threw it away carelessly. He couldn't replace Minato, he couldn't. Still, he could offer something that dead man could not - comfort.

No word was said as Naruto slipped into bed, allowed his mother to hold him like a pillow. Even though the hold was tight, he didn't complain, or make a sound. Everything in the name of making Kushina happy was accepted.

He was willing to lose his fingers for his mother... As long as she was able to sleep better, he would always smile.

The following morning

Naruto said his goodbye to his mother before heading out. Kushina spent her day time at the Yamanaka flower shop, while sometimes just hanging out with him at the park or with Mikoto. The moments with his mother were a treasure to Naruto. He would certainly go on a killing spree if anyone sort to disturb those memories. Since he didn't go to the academy, he had plenty of time to gain new experiences with his mother.

Soon as Naruto went outside, going by the backside of the house as it was the short-cut to the Uchiha compound, he was greeted by a lone man, happily harvesting in the garden he worked so hard with his mother to make. A more twisted look appeared on his face, complemented by a deep frown.

''You 'people' truly are baboons. I expect to see such behavior from uncivilized monkeys, not people. You really go far to prove me right,'' Naruto said, eyes narrowed with deadly intentions. It was better to deal with this than allow his mother to bloody her hands once more again.

The man, looking to be in his early thirties, with long black hair and black eyes, looked down at Naruto. He didn't move away from the plastic bag that was carrying the vegetables he was stealing. ''What did you just call me?!''

Naruto ignored those words; instead, he chose to focus on his own dialogue. ''I better deal with this before mother comes out,'' he said, taking out a kunai from his pocket while walking towards the man.

''Are you ignoring me, vermin?!'' That audacity of trash to ignore him while he talked.

Before anything could be said, an Anbu appeared in a flash. He apprehended the intruder before looking at Naruto, ''I will take him to Anko,'' he said monotonously.

''I dislike being tempted like this,'' Naruto simply said, knowing full well that the Anbu had first watched what he would do before moving on to diffuse the situation.

The Anbu merely nodded before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

With the obstacle gone, Naruto gave one last look to the house and pocketed the kunai he always held before heading towards his destination.

Uchiha compound

The walk within the Uchiha compound was always pleasant. Naruto had no feelings of being alieanated as he walked through the place. Their mutual feeling from Konoha helped in understanding each other, and made things better for them. While walking through the compound, there was no fear of someone jumping on him to attempt something stupid, there were no hateful glares that tried to peek inside his mind.

''Naruto-kun,'' Mikoto said, smiling at the blond who was outside of her house. ''Please come in.'' Despite the fact that he was overly familiar with this house, he always knocked each time he came here alone.

''Thank you,'' Naruto said.

''Surprise me,'' Mikoto said, hands folded across her chest.

Naruto gave a barely visible smile, that Mikoto was able to catch, he shook his head, ''No surprises Mikoto,'' he said. ''Perhaps one of this days I will surprise you, but not today.''

''That better come soon, I'm losing money to Itachi,'' Mikoto said. ''Is your mother still at home?''

''She should be,'' Naruto said.

Mikoto smiled, ''Itachi will be down in a few moments. He's still getting Sasuke-kun for the academy,'' that said, the former Jounin disappeared to another room. Not a second after she disappeared, she peeked through the door from the living room, ''Go up to Itachi's room if you don't want to wait.''

Minutes later

The moment Sasuke saw Naruto, he had requested that Itachi accompany him to the academy. Judging by how Mikoto looked, it was obvious that she had said she would walk him. Along the way, the younger Uchiha had walked in all of Itachi's sides, just to ensure that Naruto wasn't close. Obviously, he wanted to monopolize his brothers affection. A pity Naruto didn't seem interested in joining on with the competition.

After Sasuke had walked into the academy grounds, Itachi and Naruto disappeared off to the Hokage Monument.

''I cannot bear it anymore, Itachi. I can't continue to watch her like this. I know it only happens on a few occasions, but it doesn't make me happy. The worst feeling is that I can't-I don't know how to stop it.''

''My mother doesn't know about it, does she?''

Naruto shook his head, 'No.''

''Tell her. Only she can help in this situation.''

'' I'll speak to her first,'' Naruto said. ''In the meantime, let us step up with my training. I don't care if I have to return home unconscious every day.''

How far was one willing to go to protect the things they loved? For Naruto, there seemed to be no limit to what he could do or sacrifice to protect his mother. Itachi also has something he wants to protect, but was he willing to carry the burden? Naruto would without doubt. As it stood, he would be forced to test his limits.

''Just how far are you willing to protect your mother, Naruto?'' He already knew the answer, but he wanted Naruto to say, one more time, for his own conviction.

''There is no limit, no place that is far...no abyss I will not dive into... I will grow wings if it means protecting mother.''

A couple of days later

Kushina's house

It was just after noon, Kushina had returned from the flower shop, where she usually gathered herself to kill some time. Naruto was no longer the little brat that needed her eyes to be looming over his figure in all corners. He was no longer the jumpy boy he was when he had yet to utter a single meaningful word.

While she was letting the cool breeze wash over her crimson hair, under the daylight of a tuesday. She was relaxing behind her house, at her garden; the wind changed directions, going north. Her eyes travelled at the speed of light, heading straight at the back entrance of her house: Jiraiya. No word left her lips as she stared straight at the perverted white haired sannin.

''Hello, Kushina,'' Jiraiya greeted, his tone low, mixed emotions all over his face.

''Jiraiya.''

The tense silence settled in after Kushina's response. She wasn't by any means being hostile towards him, nor she was friendly, just neutral. Jiraiya coughed up a wry smile, ''You're never going to make this easy for me, are you?''

''I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, Jiraiya. I'm quiet because I'm giving you the chance to make your story.''

Jiraiya supressed a strong urge to frown. He didn't have any story to tell, he'd already told all his stories in the past couple of years. He was close to begging now, weeping while on his knees just so the woman could accept him in Naruto's life. ''Please Kushina. We can't go on like this. I'm truly sorry. If I could back in time to take a different path, I would.''

''You know what Naruto would say about that? 'Well, maybe you should try making the impossible possible,'' Kushina said, a mild smile playing over her lips. ''The reason I even talk to you is because you were there when we needed you the most. Had you not been there that day, I wouldn't even speak to you.''

How could Jiraiya could about that regrettable day? It was forever engraved inside his spirit and mind. The day the Sandaime announced Naruto Uzumaki as the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, that had been hell itself. He had never been so disgusted by Konoha's people, he had never questioned his loyalties to the village, but that day, he questioned himself.

When the Third announced Naruto as the 'hero' that Yondaime made him, Konoha had rioted. They'd acted like a pack of hungry wolves, and nearly burned down the village. It was that day that Konoha stood still: Konoha wanted nothing but to burn down Naruto. Kushina was in the hospital, unconscious due to the loss of energy induced to her by the extraction of the Kyuubi.

Jiraiya had never seen his sensei downright pissed, but that day, he had seen Sarutobi wear the mask of a god, walking around the village with Naruto in his hands, an aura of death oozing around him. He had dared anyone to attempt anything, dared anyone to touch Naruto. Of course he didn't allow his old sensei to outshine him: he had worn the gown of a Sannin and walked beside his sensei.

A couple of civilians were executed after they were found trying to break into the house in the days that followed. After troubled ceased, Kushina released, Jiraiya had disappeared once more.

Kushina stood up, and offered Jiraiya a weak smile, ''I think you would be a good influence on my Naruto. This is why I didn't refuse when you had him sign the contract with the Toads. However, that will depend on Naruto. If he doesn't want you, I won't force him.''

Meanwhile

Back and forth it, back and forth it went. The cool wind kept blowing by his face as the swing took him forth and back. For Naruto, there was no enjoyment to take from the swing, no joy at all. The fact that he was swinging alone was just a symbol of how pathetic his life was when his mother wasn't around. If she had been here, she would've been behind him, pushing him. A whole new world seemed to envelope the depths of his soul when he was separated from his mother, but Naruto didn't mind, not at all. The only person who deserved to see the true might of his smile and happiness was his mother.

Bored? No, he wasn't bored. Not the least. While the lonely swing did its round, on his right hand was a fuuinjutsu book that he was reading. The sealing art formed a part of his core, it was his mother's pride and joy and so it would be his. Because he doesn't go to the academy, he had to learn to study on his own, often his mother helped him when they were at home, and with Fuuinjutsu she was the one who taught him, and was still teaching him. As he would like to affectionately call her, she was the wizard of Fuuinjutsu.

He missed nothing of the things they taught at the academy because all the books were available to him. Thanks to one of the few things Minato did: he didn't leave them broke and without 'treasure.' The man had left a library that was worthy of a Kage and Naruto wasn't afraid to make full use of it. He could even proudly say the library alone taught him more than enough, and much more valuable than the weak things they taught at the worthless ninja academy. The thought of that crap really did put a frown on his face. There was no good done there, nothing at all.

The only children who came out of the academy ready to be ninja's were clan children. The clans had enough resources and power to hire tutors to teach their children at their compounds, from clan techniques to everything they needed to know about the shinobi world. The academy didn't even teach the students what the shinobi world was like, it was truly unfortunate that they had to blindside the kids. Oh, well, it didn't concern him. It shouldn't. He was content with burying himself within his father's library and attaining all the knowledge he could while Itachi, Kakashi and the Sandaime gave him private lessons.

Back and forth it went, as Naruto flipped a page on his book. He was trying to ignore everything that was around him: a bunch of kids making noise around the park. He hadn't come here because he wanted to, his mother had made him come with that devilish blonde Yamanaka girl. ''You can't let a girl go to that place alone, Naru-chan. Who's gonna protect her from bullies?'' His mother has so said with a wide smile. Definately playing a trick on him. But it worked, not because he had the interest in protecting the girl, but because his mother had said so.

Speaking of the blonde... Ah, there she was picking up troubling again...

''Hey, leave her alone and pick on someone your own size!'' Ino shouted, glaring at the three bullies who were busy bullying a pink haired girl because of her rather large forehead.

''Who's our size, you?'' One of the boys said, grinning at the wonderful formed Yamanaka heir.

''Well, no, but leave her alone!'' Ino was firm, not wanting to see another girl being bullied by a worthless bunch of bullies who only picked on girls instead of fighting with other boys.

''Oh will you look at that, she wants to join in the fun,'' another of the boys said, turning his attention towards the Yamanaka.

Naruto sighed, always picking up trouble. He ignored the whole thing as though it wasn't happening. He looked firmly at his book: fuuinjutsu was really a complex art that needed time and energy. You also needed a mind that was able to think out of the box, a bit crazy to be able to think explosive stuff. But since his mother taught him to read and write, he had been looking at Fuuinjutsu, he could understand it well, and he knew he would surpass his mother one day. The art was imbedded inside his mind more than anything else.

''Naruto!'' Ino called, her voice high, a bit of fear audible. Her fellow blond ignored it though.

''Naruto! A little help here!'' Once more again, Naruto ignored her.

''That loser can't help you. Look at him, he's frozen down and can't stand...''' one of the boys said with a chuckle, staring down at the cornered Yamanaka girl.

Ino tried to ignore the boy breathing down her neck, and glared at the side of Naruto. That bastard she thought angrily. ''Naruto Uzumaki, if you don't come here and help, I will tell that you just watched a girl being bullied!''

That seemed to catch Naruto's attention. He closed his book, placed it inside his pocket, and looked at the direction of the girl, but still didn't get up. ''What?'' His tone was low, but it was enough for Ino to assume what he had said.

''Are you just going to just watch two girls being bullied by these brutes?'' Ino shouted again.

''Hey, who are you calling a brute?''

''Yes,'' Naruto simply said.

He was dead serious and Ino knew it. ''If you don't come here, I will tell your mother and you know how disappointed she will be when she finds out what you did!''

It didn't take a second for Naruto to be at Ino's side. He ignored the boys and stood beside the boys who had cornered her, while the other two were just behind him, along with the pink haired girl. ''I thought we had an agreement.''

''Yes, but I had asked nicely and you didn't help. What other choice did I have?'' He had asked for it by refusing to help when she had asked 'nicely.' If he wanted to do things the hard way, then she had no problems following his lead.

The boy in front of Ino, placed his right hand on Ino's mouth, stopping her from talking further, he then turned to Naruto, ''Beat it trash, unlest you want to join in the fun.''

Despite the position she found herself, Ino wasn't afraid, not when her blacknight was standing before her. Naruto would make things okay, he would scare the boys away, he always did. For this reason, she had no reason to be afraid, no reason to struggle.

Why was he called up into a situation like this? Normally, he would have prefered to just mind his own business. Ino could be bullied for all he cared, she was the one who was sticking her nose into things that didn't concern her. Who played hero when they didn't have the power? You certainly didn't enter a snake's burrow when you had no plans to counter its venom. He didn't like playing hero, not when his mother wasn't concerned.

Another boy placed his right right on Naruto's shoulder, ''You still alive?'' He asked, mockingly, seeing that Naruto had yet to say a word. Naturally, he assumed the blond was frozen in fear.

Naruto's neck nearly snapped when he twisted his head to face the boy. The look on his face was anything but nice and indifferent. Ruthlessly cold look on his eyes had its fangs on the boy's throat, its poisonous venom sending cold chills down his spine. He quickly took off his hand from Naruto and wanted to do nothing but run away to his mother and say ''Kaa-san, you were right, he is a demon.'' But he didn't. He just took a step back.

''Come on guys, let us get out here.'' The boy didn't give a reason as to why, he just left, without even looking back. The other two quickly followed, not before giving their victims one last shove.

Ino quickly recovered from the whole ordeal and went towards Sakura who was still on the ground, ''Was that difficult?''

''No, but I would rather you didn't do something like that again...'' Naruto said, already walking away.

''T-thank you,'' Sakura wanted to say, but he had already made the distance.

Ino gave the girl a smile, ''Don't worry about it, he's just like that. Ignore him for now. Come on, let us go play.''

Sakura's lips twisted into a weak smile, before nodding softly. Up she went and followed her new friend.

Naruto walked towards a tree in the park, sat down while leaning against its trunk. Weak girls, he thought. Kushina Uzumaki had fought her bullies, either be boys a boy or shinobi, she had beat up anyone who attempted to bully her. His mother was strong, she didn't rely on anyone to fight for her. But these girls, they relied on someone else to protect them. With her big personality, why couldn't Ino fight off their bullies like his mother did? Yes, she could fight off some other girls, by mocking them at least, but when it came to stubborn fools, she always relied on him.

The first time he had been forced to play hero was about two years ago. A certain Hyuuga was close to having her eyes peeled out simply because they looked weird. Naruto would've just ignored it, and mind his own business. Why was he to help when the girl had no relations to him? But the girl's cry for help had been so pathetic that had even he pitied her - a rare thing. He hasn't shown anyone pity since then, that was a one time thing.

Still, his mother had been proud of him. She was so happy.

Clearing over those thoughts, Naruto chose lay back, his Fuuinjutsu book over his face. No one would dare come here to to disturb him. And he would murder anyone who would take the book his beloved mother gave him. That in mind, Naruto decided to nap while Ino wore herself out with her new friend.

...

''Boo!'' Kushina said, shaking her son furiously. Unfortunately for her, Naruto didn't freak out.

''Mother,'' he said, removing the book on his face. He could never mistake his mother's presence or her touch. There was no one who touched him like her. Even if his sense of touch was to leave him, he would still recognize his mother.

''Ah, you're no fun anymore,'' Kushina said.

''Well, will you look at that, mama's boy is smiling in the sight of his beloved mother,'' Ino said, a grin that spoke volumes about the thoughts going inside her head.

Naruto looked at the girl with a frown, then looked at his mother, ''Why mother?''

Kushina merely smiled, ''I don't know, Naru-chan...'' she said. ''But I know that your mother loves you.''

For Ino, this was just gold: Naruto's nickname, the blush that was threatening to paint his cheeks.

''Ino,'' Naruto coughed up a bit, straightening himself. ''A word to anyone about this and I will make you regret it.''

''Play nice, Naruto,'' Kushina said as the boy took her right hand, already dragging her away. ''Come on Ino,'' she called the blond girl who was being left behind.

The Omnipresent Sage has once again started a new story.

Please let me know how this introduction was.

No this isn't a Naruto x Kushina story. I draw the line there. It may be just anime, but mother and son doing it? Hell no.

Gigi67 did the editing.


	2. Chapter 2

konoha

Sarutobi Compound

''Naruto-kun, why do you wish to learn wind jutsus at such a young age?'' The Sandaime Hokage asked, looking straight at the blond, who was lying on the ground at the training area within his clan's compound. He usually took some time to teach the boy a few things when he could.

He was surprised when Naruto suddenly asked to be trained in using wind jutsus. He hadn't expected the blond to demand to armor himself with everything he could hold at this stage. Yes, he did understand that the blond's desire to protect his mother was greater than anything, but at this stage, he wished for Naruto to live a bit more normally, despite the circumstances that surrounded him. He believed that it was not impossible for Naruto to gain friends and live a happy childhood. It was possible. Naruto just wasn't sold on the idea of exploring the possibilities.

Perhaps he should have barred young Itachi from showing Naruto his chakra nature. He'd allowed it to happen because he believed it would quiet the blond a bit, but that turned out to have the opposite effect. The blond's chakra coils had developed far earlier than most children. It perhaps had to do with his Jinchuriki status - and as the blond was willing to train, it wasn't 'wrong' to teach him about chakra.

''I want to be strong, jiji,'' Naruto said, staring at the clear sky. He had to be strong, for his mother.

Hiruzen sighed, looking at Naruto. Sometimes the blond did wear him out. ''Yes, I know that. Wind manipulation isn't the easiest thing you can do at your age Naruto. Learning to control wind chakra takes years of training and hard work.'' He could remember his own days, staring at a waterfall while trying to cut it. It didn't actually take years to learn the manipulation of wind chakra - it depended on the capacity of the executors mind to learn. Controlling pure wind was the most difficult.

'Then isn't it only right that I start now if it takes so many years to learn? If I start now, by the time I reach a more mature age, I will be able to manipulate the element,'' Naruto reasoned with the Third.

He shouldn't have said that, but he did know how to handle this child. ''Yes, that would be the most reasonable option,'' he said, not wanting to deny a straight up fact. ''However, that is the kind of thing that Root Anbu learn at your age, and I don't want to treat you in the same manner. I don't want you to have the same mentality as Root Anbu and endure the same harsh training Danzo gives them."

''I really appreciate that, jiji,'' Naruto said quietly. ''You have really treated me well over the years. I don't think I can even imagine you teaching me how to become an emotionless robot like Danzo does with his Root,'' a rare small smile appeared on his face when those words left his mouth. He could always count on the Sandaime to treat him well aside from his mother.

This is what it meant being the son of a former Hokage: privileged to know more about the inner workings of the village. Minato had lots of things inside his office, secrets and everything. All of which were not hidden from him by his mother. She didn't seem to mind him making himself comfortable in his father's study, even when she knew he was reading some things he shouldn't. She just didn't allow him anywhere near those kind of S-rank secrets. What Danzo was and did wasn't something that could be classified as S-rank.

The Third chuckled lightly, ''Well, I wouldn't be living with the 'Will of Fire' in me if I went to the extreme. Besides, Kushina-chan would kill me.''

Naruto smiled, ''Yes, yes, she would.'' he said. ''Mother can be overprotective sometimes,'' not that he was complaining about it. He wouldn't have it any other way.

''Aren't you like her in that regard, Naruto-kun?'' the Hokage asked, slightly amused by the thought of how both mother and son were overprotective of each other, even so, the fact that Naruto never seemed to notice that he was overprotective of his mother. Well, he was still just a seven year old, regardless of how smart he was.

''Maybe,'' Naruto said with a shrug. He was never going to openly admit it, nor was his mother. To him, it was only 'right' that he think of his mother's safety all the time. Back on to the matter at hand. ''I think it is necessary for me to learn all that I can when looking at the environment that surrounds me.''

''I do not disagree with your assessment, but you should mind your age as well. Other children your age aren't concerned about their mother's in the way you do. That doesn't mean they don't care, it only means they know their role is to be children and allow their parents to protect them.''

Naruto got up from the ground - he had recovered enough energy from the taijutsu training the Sandaime was teaching him. He couldn't learn taijutsu from Itachi because the Anbu captain's style went along with his Sharingan. He didn't have those eyes, so the style wouldn't suit him. The blond sat carefully, legs crossed and looked at the Third, who was sitting just away from him.

''I feel you are saying that I'm acting like an adult, instead of being a child. But you forget that the father is always the head - I don't have that.''

The Third shook his head slightly, ''I can never forget that you don't have 'that' Naruto-kun, but your mother isn't a civilian. She is a retired jonin. Don't you always brag about her superior knowledge with seals whenever you get the chance?''

Even the saying of those words by somone was enough to make him smile. Still, ''I do what I must for mother,'' he could only say. ''If father was here, then the story would be different.''

''Admittedly...'' the Sandaime Hokage acknowledged with a sad frown. ''It is unfortunate that Minato passed away at such a young age. He could have been doing a better job than I am.''

''Maybe, or maybe not,'' Naruto said. ''Possibilities are always there. You have your experience to count on. Your physical 'prowess' may be deteriorating, but your mind hasn't. So, it is still arguable. Nevertheless, it is indeed cruel that he pathetically died.''

''He didn't pathetically die, Naruto,'' The Sandaime said firmly. No matter how many times he had to repeat it for Naruto to get it through his head, the Sandaime would always have the strength to say it. ''Minato-kun died a noble death.''

''Like I always say, in yours and the villagers perspective...'' that recorded answer once more, but the Sandaime wasn't worried - he knew Naruto's weakness and he would eventually expose it.

''Have you ever questioned yourself about what you would do in his position? I know if someone threatened your mother you would do anything possible to save her, Minato did what he believed was best to save his family and the village he had sworn to protect no matter the cost, no matter the pain.''

''There are ways he could have gone about that, and still be alive. Giving away his life wasn't a necessity.''

The fact that Naruto didn't actually hate his father for sealing the Kyuubi in him was a relief for Hiruzen and the fact that a part of him understood that he had to protect his village. What Naruto resented from Minato was that he died. There wasn't anything else that Naruto resented about his father. The fact that he died instead of living, hurt the blond more than he was willing to admit. Naruto wanted his father to be there to protect him and his mother, he wanted his father to stand up for his family.

What made matters worse was that the very people Minato had died protecting hated him, his father's son. The people had been quick to disregard Minato's wishes in favor of their hatred. Naruto hated that. He resented his father for being too trusting. If the people had accepted him as a hero and didn't make him and his mother's life a misery, there wouldn't be any resentment on Naruto's side. None at all.

''Your mother told you didn't she? The seal Minato-kun used allows for you to use the Kyuubi's chakra. The seals that held the Bijuu in your mother and Mito-sama were meant to to hold it back. What if your father believed that the Uchiha would return once again to Konoha. The fact that the Uchiha is still alive means that your father failed to kill him. What if he thought the best way to protect his family and Konoha was to give you the Kyuubi's power? Wouldn't that explain why he chose you and that seal specifically, despite your mother's arguments?''

Naruto clenched his fists, ''I have thought of that possibility,'' he said. Obviously the answer didn't please him given the clenched fists. ''But nothing can take away from what I have been forced to experience because of his decision.''

The Third smiled sadly. ''Minato's only fault was that he trusted the villagers to see you as a hero. A part of me thought they would. Which is why I honored his wish to tell the people of your status,'' he said. ''Nevertheless, I still do believe that your father trusted you, his own son, to protect his wife and this village against an enemy he knew he couldn't defeat. His hopes may have been crushed, but I honestly believe he gave you that power to protect what he held dear. That is why he chose to die while you live; this is why I give my time to teach you, so that Minato's other wish comes true.''

Naruto's response was to frown while his mother complex wrestled with reason.

The Third knew it. This is why even though his Anbu had marked Naruto as a flight-risk, he still believed that Naruto would change. His mother complex stopped him from adhering to any reasonable conclusion he came up with. If the complex was crushed, Naruto would understand things. But for now, he could hope. No matter how smart he may be, he was still a seven year old child.

''Your mother must believe your father trusted you to carry out his wish as well,'' using his mother broke all arguments. One would think he was manipulating the boy by using his mother, but this was just the truth and he wanted... no, he needed Naruto to understand clearly. ''I believe this is why she still lives in this village and possibly told you about the seal so that you can understand. Tell me Naruto-kun, do you think your mother resents him?''

''No,'' Naruto grunted. If anything, she missed him. Perhaps that was another part of the reason he resented his father.

''I will still train you regardless,'' the Sandaime said. ''However, if you're going to learn Wind manipulation, you're going to have to allow your chakra coils to mature, and learn to control your chakra. My reserves are nothing compared to when I was in my prime, but I make up for it by using the minimum chakra required for a jutsu. This is all thanks to my excellent chakra control.''

''Kakashi has said that despite my age, I do possess large amounts of chakra. At this age it can be controllable, however, if it continues to grow as it has been, it'll become hard for me to control it as you do with yours.''

''He may be right, but should you learn extensive chakra control at this age, you should be able to control it well as it grows. The problem becomes when you attempt to control chakra that is out of control,'' the Sandaime Hokage said.

Naruto nodded, ''I assumed it may be so,'' he said.

''One more thing you'll have to do to continue receiving training from me,'' the Third said.

Naruto had a feeling he knew what the Third was going to say. He even dreaded the answer as he asked, ''What?''

''Go to the academy. I will handle all your paperwork.''

Yup. This is what he definitely suspected. ''I don't want to,'' he whined like the seven year he was.

''Has your mother spoken to you about the academy?''

''Yes, she has.''

''And what did she say?''

''She said she wanted me to join the academy and make friends,'' Naruto said.

The Sandaime smiled, ''Do you want to make your mother happy, Naruto-kun?''

''Of course, do you even need to ask?'' The response came out of the blond's mouth without even a moment of pause and some firmness. There was no doubt he wanted to make Uzumaki Kushina a happy mother.

''Join the academy and make friends, Naruto-kun.''

Naruto's response was to frown.

''You've seen it haven't you? When Sasuke-kun comes back from the academy and tells his mother how well he did, she always smiles at him. Sometimes she even walks him there. If you think I'm pulling one over you, go ask your mother.'' The Third added, ''I know you're not optimistic about making friends, but don't lose hope in the young ones as well.''

Naruto's frown just deepened, ''I'll speak to her,'' he said.

''Good,'' the Third said. Well, today he did a lot of ground work. This was worthy of a treat at the ramen stand. But first thing first, ''Naruto-kun, we'll have to go to Suna in two days.''

''No.''

It wasn't anything the Third Hokage hadn't expected from the blond. ''Come on my boy, don't you want to see Temari-chan?''

Once more again, Naruto just frowned.

It was a year ago when his mother told him that there was some signed agreement between Konoha and Suna, his mother had participated in it as well. The agreement was that he was to marry the Yondaime Kazekage's daughter when he turned eighteen. The agreement had been struck when the Sandaime was contemplating allowing him and his mother to take refuge in Suna until things cooled down in the village. He had yet to even reach one year of age when his mother and the Sandaime found him a fiancee.

The Sandaime's reasons were to strengthen Suna's ties with Konoha. The village doesn't have a lot of allies, despite the village being the strongest in the Elemental Nations. His mother also feared that since he was hated, he was likely to grow without a girlfriend. So she found the 'perfect' girl - a girl who has a Jinchuriki for a brother. A potential friend, possibly.

''Last time you went without complains.''

''Mother was going...'' Naruto said with a shrug.

''Well, I didn't say she wasn't going this time now did I?''

''Oh.''

The Sandaime chuckled. He did that on purpose. Definitely. ''Come on, let us go get ramen before my clone runs out of chakra.''

xxxx

The Sandaime couldn't be more ashamed of the village he led as he walked through the streets of Konoha with his beloved 'grandson.' The looks they were giving the boy were not pleasant at all. It just downright disgusted him. Minato would be ashamed if he saw how these people treated his own son. The devil even sneaked into his thoughts, putting questions like: 'If Minato could be given a second chance, would he still follow the same path even if he knew that Konoha would once again treat his son this badly?'

There were so many times that he'd wished that Minato had allowed him to be the one to sacrifice his soul to the Shinigami for the sealing for the Kyuubi. He had lost his wife that night, and his sons had all grown up. Nobody needed him anymore. As long as Minato had been here, everything would have been okay. He had mentored the young Hokage enough when he first took the post, so he could have handled things well in the aftermath of everything. Perhaps that sacrifice would've made up for all the wrongs he did in his long life.

Still, he was here and a young man who had a bright future was dead. Gone along with the creepy wind of October 10 seven years ago.

How could these people smile at him and greet him respectfully while simultaneously sending death glares at the poor boy? At least not everyone was that bad, even amongst the civilians. But the majority were bad. Regardless, his ways couldn't let him lose hope in this people ever changing. He believed they would eventually change. Naruto just had to do something 'good' for them to see that they'd been wrong about him. The past wouldn't be erased even if they do change though. Still, there was a big question on whether they would change or not.

''This is rather unpleasant, isn't it?'' The Third Hokage admitted, rather bitterly while looking at the blond, walking on his right side.

''Unpleasant?'' Naruto seemed to ponder on it for a few moments before he shrugged, ''Unpleasant it is, for lack of a better word.. I've become used to it nonetheless. The first years were difficult. But like the heat in Suna, once you live there long enough, you grow accustomed to it that it becomes natural - not to say that this feels natural by any means.''

''I get what you're saying,'' Sarutobi said, keeping the mild taste in his tongue. ''Do you think they'll ever change, Naruto-kun?''

''I stopped asking myself that question when I was five, Jiji,'' Naruto said.

The Professor let out a bitter chuckle before he responded, ''Those years were truly bad. At least things have bettered a bit in recent years,'' he added, ''Do you think it would've been much easier for you if the deal to have you live at Sunagakure with your mother had gone through?'' Keeping in mind, it would only be temporary.

''Maybe or maybe not. Logic dictates that it would've been pleasant as those people don't know my Jinchuriki status. But that is that and this is the reality. Dwelling on what could've been doesn't help with anything. Such thoughts plagued my mind in abundance - how would things be like if father was alive? Would they hate me? Would I be running around the village with a smile?'' Those kind of thoughts did nothing but dish out the misery in a large bowl. ''The reality of things is that my father is dead - and I resent him for it; Konoha hates me, and I must learn to live with all that.''

A frown threatened to break free on the Sandaime's face, but he suppressed it. ''We can only hope...''

''That is for you. I have nothing to hope for,'' Naruto said. ''When are you going to retire anyway? You're going to be a real grandfather soon enough.''

''Don't remind me,'' the Third said. ''I won't retire until you grow old enough for me to say you are strong enough,'' the Sandaime added, ruffling up the boys hair affectionately.

Naruto let out a tiny smile, small as it was, it was there - the Third noted it with great care. ''I wouldn't have it any other way Jiji.''

Later

The Sandaime Hokage has always been a pervert. Always. Even when Jiraiya was just a brat, he had been a pervert. However, he has always hid his perverseness from other people because it would be embarrassing. If it wasn't because of the repercussions in waiting, he would even indulge in the peeking his former student does - well he had his crystal ball. That was his secret though. What would people say if they heard that, the Professor, God of Shinobi, the Sandaime Hokage and Konoha's long-serving Kage... was a shameless pervert who giggled in the confines of his office while watching young girls splash water at each other in the hotsprings, through his magic ball?

When this woman walked into the office, a warm smile painted across her face, lips colored in blue and long red hair that reached down the curvy waist, the Sandaime couldn't help himself but stare. dignity be damned. This woman's beauty begged for his perverted side to look at her in wonder and in all indecent forms he could compute.

''Ahem,'' Jiraiya cleared his throat before his sensei started drooling. It was enough that he'd hit on the woman before, now for his sensei to drool over her would be just embarrassing. Nevertheless, it would confirm something - the woman was a beauty. If his sensei could see it, then he had not been wrong. ''Sensei, not in front of your own student. You're embarrassing me,'' the Toad Sage said, a smirk on his face.

What was wrong with these men? Mei thought looking at the Third and his former student. The Toad Sage was already infamous with some women with his books, but she didn't have a problem with them. The Third was supposed to be a dignified old man of peace with an image to uphold, but upon her entrance to his office, it had crumbled down and now he was trying to pick up the pieces.

The Third Hokage looked at Jiraiya with a slight glare. ''Don't act like a child Jiraiya-kun,'' he stated before looking back at Mei with a small smile, ''Please take a seat.''

''Thank you, Hokage-sama,'' Mei said. ''And thanks for taking your time to see me. I wasn't sure you'd be willing to talk to me.''

''Don't worry about it,'' the Third said smiling. ''Terumi Mei, leader of the rebel faction in Kiri's civil war... That is about right... Jiraiya-kun?'' The sannin's Intel was always reliable. He was just asking for the sake of it.

''Yes,'' Jiraiya said with a nod.

Mei wasn't surprised. Kiri may be in lockdown because of the war, but some shinobi were truly capable of making the impossible possible, ''Forgive me, but I'm going to be blunt. Granted you already know who I am, I can safely say you know what it is that I came here for...''

The Sandaime nodded, ''You don't mind if I smoke, do you?'' He was already lighting up his pipe when he asked. Mei was tempted to say she does mind, but held it back. ''You require, Konoha's assistance in the civil war that has crippled Kiri's resources.''

Mei nodded.

''Why Konoha, exactly?'' Jiraiya asked.

''The Yondaime Raikage wouldn't agree to it without making some outrageous demands, Suna isn't in a position to help, and well Iwagakure would rather colonize Kiri than help us. Konohagakure boasts the finest shinobi and is the strongest of the Great Five. Aside from that, the Sandaime has been a long preacher of peace...''

''So because I preach peace you believe I am the easiest to recruit to assist you and wouldn't even make an outrageous demand like other nations, huh?'' The Sandaime said, puffing out some smoke.

It sounded a bit bad when he put it like that. ''I don't mean it like that exactly,'' Mei tried to explain herself.

The Sandaime merely chuckled, waving her off, ''I understand what you mean,'' he said before he put away his pipe - his expression turned serious as he leaned against his chair. ''Speak,'' he said.

Mei knew what the old man was saying and this was the hardest part, ''Honestly, I have nothing to offer as it stands. We have been making progress against Yagura's forces, but our enemy remains the Mizukage.'' Meaning he controlled most things. ''However, I do believe that we will win the war. We just need some reinforcements for the final battle. When we win, we'll take over Kiri and start rebuilding it. Then, we can compensate you. You'll also gain an ally who'll never betray you.''

''So basically you have nothing but promises without any evidence of it ever being ever fulfilled. This is the shinobi world, signed treaties are nothing more than just pieces of papers. What value do mere words hold, if one can even deny ever saying them?'' The Sandaime asked.

Mei frowned. She hadn't expected the old man to jump into the opportunity to assist her, but she'd thought he would do a bit easy, given his reputation. ''I know but I'm willing to go through a blood oath to prove that I will come through to my promise.''

The Sandaime just stared at Mei for a couple of moments. The woman couldn't even begin to guess what it was that was going inside his head - his mask was unreadable. ''How desperate are you?''

''Excuse me?''

''You came here with nothing but words, yet still expect me to risk the lives of my shinobi to help you.''

''I just believe that there are still some good people in this world. It may be corrupted to the core, but a part of me believes that not everyone is bad. Do you think I'm wrong to have such hopes, Hokage-sama?''

That Sandaime smiled as he spoke, ''Not at all,'' he said. His serious mask returned, ''Tell me about the current Mizukage? What is 'wrong' with him?''

''I know this may sound as an accusation to the Uchiha clan, but we believe without a doubt that Yagura is being manipulated by a powerful genjutsu, one that can only be cast by the Sharingan,'' Mei said.

''I see,'' the Third said. It may not look like it but this piece of information was truly important to him. ''How did you come up with that conclusion, Mei-san?''

''I'm afraid I can't tell you that.'' She couldn't tell them that one of her man had one of Konoha's coveted doujutsu.

''Can't or don't want to?''

This man wasn't making it easy for her. Well, they didn't call him the professor for nothing. ''It is a secret that we hold in our ranks. I'm sure you have things in your own ranks that you'd like to keep hidden.''

''Yes, but when I'm trying to get someone to help me, without anything to offer, I divulge whatever I can,'' the Sandaime said.

Jiraiya just settled for watching his sensei work. The old man was really good with this kind of things.

''It appears that I was wrong coming here. With how this is going, it doesn't seem like I will get any help since I have nothing to offer,'' who had she been kidding? No one gave anything for free, not in this cruel world of shinobi. There were always strings attached to every deal. Nothing was for free.

''That is how it seems,'' the Sandaime said.

Mei nodded, ''Thank you for your time,'' she said ready to leave.

''But not how it is,'' the Third said before adding. ''I never said I wouldn't offer my assistant. So, settle down. Tell me, what do you think would happen, say if Onoki hears that I'm assisting you in the war and sends his own shinobi to assist Yagura?''

Mei frowned. ''Konoha and Iwa will end up fighting. Possibly reopen old war wounds.''

''I don't need to tell you how badly that will affect us if we end up being dragged into war, having just recently recovered from the Kyuubi's rampage seven years ago...''

Mei's frown deepened. If that happened, she wouldn't be able to help out in the ensuing war. ''I understand,'' she said. He was saying he really wants to help but the risks were far too great. Every leader had to think for his own people. The Sandaime's responsibility wasn't to her people but to Konoha.

''I'm glad you understand,'' the Sandaime said smiling. ''How long do you think this final battle will last?''

Mei was stunned, ''A week or two.''

''You think you're up to the challenge, Jiraiya-kun?''

The toad sage nodded with a smile, ''I don't have any complaints as long as I get to stare at her mesmerizing beauty.''

The Third chuckled slightly. ''Good,'' he said. ''You have yourself my assistance, Mei-san.''

Mei was still stunned. He was not only going to offer her his help, he was going to send his strongest shinobi? She would have been grateful if he'd just gave her some fringe shinobi. But a sannin? This was just a miracle. She couldn't help but smile and heap praise to her gut for telling her to come to this village. ''Thank you, Sandaime-sama. I didn't expect this.''

''Don't thank me yet,'' Sarutobi said. ''Return to Konoha when you have ended Yagura's blood reign.''

''That will be the first thing I do!''

''I hope so,'' The Third said. ''Would you rather rest or do you wish to leave now? My men can fetch the two you left outside the village.''

Mei showed no physical reaction to this revelation. The two she left were supposed to be hidden, but apparently the Sandaime has great eyes. ''I have to return to camp right away. It will be dangerous if Yagura becomes aware of my absence.''

''Understandable,'' the Sandaime said, ''Jiraiya will catch up to you with the others before you reach sea.''

Mei nodded and gave her thanks again before leaving. The Sandaime didn't escort her out as it would raise suspicion and he wanted to get this done without too much noise about it.

Once Mei was gone, Jiraiya looked at his sensei, ''You're not thinking of doing that, are you, sensei?''

The Third merely smiled, ''Do you think this could be the same Uchiha as the one responsible for the Kyuubi's attack?''

''We still don't know if it is really the Sharingan that is manipulating Yagura.''

''Yes. It will be best if Itachi-kun tags along. His Mangekyo Sharingan should be enough to discern that. If he gets something good, then we may take another step into unmasking this Uchiha.''

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. A few moments of silence settled in before the Toad Sage spoke once more, ''Sensei,'' his tone was low, ''you get along with the gaki, does he hate me?''

The Third sighed. ''You're going to have to speak to him eventually. If you're not going to break the ice, Naruto won't bother. Now, I raised you when you were just a brat, Jiraiya-kun. You have grown up now. You raised Minato well. This is something that I cannot help you with. However, I can tell you this: while on this secret mission, speak to Itachi-kun, he understands Naruto-kun.''

Two hours later

Danzo walked into the Sandaime's office with a scowl on his face. He clearly didn't like being ordered by Hiruzen. ''Why did you call me, Hiruzen.''

''Now now, Danzo, there is no need for such animosity. I did allow you to live after you attempted to get me killed,'' The Third said before getting into the business at hand. ''I have a mission for your Root.''

''What?'' Danzo asked, with narrowed eyes.

''Kiri's civil war. You're to send your Root Anbu to fight with the rebels against Yagura's forces. Send them tomorrow morning. I believe you already know the way, you have been keeping tabs on the situation, no?''

The following day

Just beside his favorite tree at the park, Ino sat, legs pressed across her chest. When this image registered in his mind, Naruto did nothing but frown as he walked up to her. He didn't want to be here in the first place - he was only here because her mother had asked him to fetch the girl as it was getting late and she wanted to close up the flower shop and return home. He would have said no, but his mother had been there, giving him that look that clearly told him to do what was requested of him or there would be consequences.

The girl looked sad, and that was something he didn't want to deal with. He had his own problems. Sighing, Naruto sat down beside his fellow blonde, ''Just so you know, I don't care,'' he said before adding. ''I'm just going to ask because if I ignore you, my mother is going to find out and she won't be happy, or you may just use it against me.''

''Always treat a girl well, Naru-chan,'' his mother always tells him. He knew she wouldn't smile at him and say you did well if he just ignored a child of a friend in this kind of situation, especially a girl. He didn't understand it. But sometimes his mother would just say he doesn't have to understand but do as he was told and he would eventually understand when he does grow up. He was all grown up at this stage, what was there to understand when he was advanced in age?

''You're cold,'' Ino said softly. But then again, sometimes she did appreciate his honesty. He didn't lie to her - he was always truthful. Even though he was only forced because of his mother's compulsion, he was still doing it and she thanked him for that.

Naruto merely shrug indifferently, ''What is wrong?''

''Sakura.''

''Hmmm?''

''That pink haired girl you 'saved' a few weeks ago. She registered with the academy and is now in my class. Her father seems to have pulled some strings to get her in. That is not the problem though - we both like Sasuke-kun and decided to terminate our friendship to pursue him.''

''And this makes you...'' what was the right word, again? ''Sad?''

Ino nodded, ''Yes. I liked our friendship but now we have become rivals, always throwing insults at each other. Sakura has also made new friends.''

Naruto sighed. His mother must truly hate him to make him go through such things. ''What are seven year olds doing chasing after Sasuke? What do you even mean you like him?''

''You know... How a boy likes a girl,'' Ino tried explaining.

''No, I don't know,'' Naruto said.

Ino sighed, ''Yeah, you wouldn't. The only person Naruto likes is his mother,'' she said.

''So, you really like Sasuke, and this Sakura does as well. Both of you are fighting for his affection,'' he would really kill someone if he had to compete with them over his mother's affection. ''This has something to do with what adults call 'love,' but you're just seven. You shouldn't be too worried about such things.'' It could hardly be called love between seven years olds, but he wasn't going to point that out.

''Says the guy who already has a fiancee.''

''You're not supposed to talk about such things, Ino.'' Naruto said. How the girl had even got hold of it was beyond him. He wouldn't tell her such things and his mother wouldn't either. Perhaps she had walked into their mothers while they were talking about it.

''Sorry.''

''Does Sasuke share this 'crush' of yours?'' Ino frowned slightly, but that was all the answer Naruto needed. ''My thoughts: get over your stupid crush or destroy your friendship with that girl. What if by some great miracle, Itachi compels Sasuke to tell Sakura that he likes her better?''

Ino's frown deepened, ''It would take a miracle because Sasuke-kun likes me.''

Keeping telling yourself that, Naruto wanted to say, but the girl would probably tell his mother that he was mean to her. ''Come on, let's go,'' he stood and helped her up.. Whether a solution was reached or not did not matter.

Sunagakure

As soon as the Sandaime, Kushina and Naruto made it to the gates of the Village Hidden in Sand, they were greeted by a squad of Anbu. The Third had his own Anbu as his guards, just hidden somewhere Naruto couldn't begin to sense. The way towards the village had been rather short as Hiruzen wanted to return to Konoha as quickly as he could. In his mind, he couldn't leave the village for too long when he had made enemies with that snake, Danzo. The war hawk would probably choose to dethrone him in his absence. It was unlikely as he had made sure the Root commander sent his Root away to Kiri, but it was still a possibility.

''Hokage-sama,'' the leader of the Anbu squad said, walking over to the Sandaime, ''Please allow us to take you straight to the Kazekage tower. Yondaime-sama has instructed us to do so.''

The Third smiled, ''Would it be a problem if we walked? I wish to breathe in some fresh air before my meeting with the Kazekage. The journey has been a little long, I'm sure Naruto-kun would like to see the change in scenery once again...''

The Anbu didn't need to think about the matter to offer his response. He merely nodded, ''We will escort you then...''

The Professor nodded, ''Would it be okay if my Anbu take a friendly round about the village?''

''As long as they keep it friendly, there shouldn't be any problem, Hokage-sama.''

The Third Hokage looked at his right: Naruto being held by his mother with her right hand. ''Let's go you two,'' he said.

''Is it just me is the weather different from when we were at in the desert?'' Kushina asked as they slowly walked through the streets of Suna, heading towards the Kazekage tower with the Anbu behind them.

''It is different,'' Sarutobi said. ''The heat isn't as bad as people make it seem. The journey across the desert isn't that bad itself - it is only bad during the windy seasons.''

Kushina nodded - she didn't need to be told that. She already knew that crossing the desert during the windy season was nothing more than to taunt death. She looked at her son, ''I'm so proud of you. You were able to make it to the village without having me to carry you across the desert. Your training is really paying off...''

Naruto smiled at his mother, ''Thank you.'' he said. There was the fact that the last time he'd come to this village had been his first and, despite being told to prepare for what was ahead, he didn't think it would be so bad. But now he was able to move on his own and knew what to expect.

''Anything less would've been disappointing,'' The Sandaime said, butting into the conversation. Naruto ott training from four different people, his mother included. Well, children of Kages always received the best training they could get from their villages. Minato may be dead, but he was Naruto's father and nothing would change that.

Kushina nodded before smiling, ''All the better when we return home because he will be starting the academy,'' she said. Just the thought of her son, strong enough to protect himself against bullies, having some friends of his own, it really made her happy. Perhaps then her son could get the childhood he so deserved. It wasn't too late for him - he was just seven after all.

Naruto wanted to frown, but he couldn't, not when his mother seemed happy. It was one of those moments that he had to suppress a sarcastic remark about his predicament. His mother was happy that he was going to the academy and may possibly make friends. He should be as well.

He could well remember how his mother had picked him up grinning like a fool when he spoke to her about the academy. He'd never seen her so happy and relieved. It was one of those days she would be even willing to let him stay up all night watching TV - if he did that kind of thing. It really meant a lot to her. So he had to push on for her happiness.

''Don't worry too much about it, Naruto-kun,'' the Sandaime said. ''I'll arrange that you be put into a class with the clan heirs. They are smart, Ino-chan is an example. Who knows, you may even get along with with Sasuke-kun while competing for academy honors.''

''I doubt it,'' Naruto said. ''If I become a competition, Sasuke is likely to see me as a threat.''

Kushina patted Naruto on the back, ''Where is your optimism, Naru-chan?'' she asked a bit loudly. ''What did I tell you?''

''Never say never,'' Naruto recited those words his mother had beat into him until he could dream them.

''That's the spirit,'' Kushina said with a nod of her head.

''Looks like we've finally reached the tower,'' the Sandaime said, looking at the Kazekage tower. The walk had been pleasant and a good way to kill some time.

The leader of the Suna Anbu cleared his throat to catch the attention of the Hokage and those with him. ''Is he going to sit in as well?'' He asked, referring to Naruto.

The Third shook his head, ''No. Not this time,'' he said.

''I will take him to the Kazekage's home then,'' one of the Anbu said, to which Hiruzen nodded.

Kushina looked at her son, ''Do you still remember what I told you?'' Naruto nodded. ''And, what did I say again?''

''Smile,'' Naruto said giving his mother a warm smile.

''Good, now go be a good boy and don't do anything that will give your mother a heart attack,'' Kushina said.

''Mother, what would I do that would give you a heart attack?''

Kushina shrugged, ''Well, you spend some time with him,'' she said her left shoulder pointing towards the Sandaime. ''He's like Jiraiya, but he just does it in a closet. Who knows if he's read you that smut,'' the red haired sent the Sandaime a threatening glare, warning him.

''Now, now, Kushina-chan, I'm a responsible adult and wouldn't hope to dilute Naruto-kun's mind...''

''Keep it that way,'' Kushina said. After Naruto was taken away, she returned to normal, ''Come on, let us get this over with... I really hate formal meetings though...''

Kazekage residence

Naruto had the decency to raise a brow when he saw Temari: she wore a black kimono, that fitted her perfectly; no lipsticks, just her pure face. The last time he'd come here, she looked normal. This time she looked as though she was preparing for a ceremonial festive. Good impressions? Maybe.

Naruto smiled for two reasons: one, his mother; two: both her and him were in a situation that none chose, and he could share some sympathy with her like he does with Itachi. Both he and the Uchiha shared a mindset - protect what is important to their hearts no matter the cost. The only difference was that the 'precious' things to their hearts were different. But both worked zealously for the love, and so they had something in common.

''Naruto,'' Temari greeted the blond with a somewhat forced smile.

''Temari,'' Naruto said, ''You look nice,'' he added as the girl walked him towards the living room. His mother has always told him, 'Always compliment a girl if you want to get in her good books.'

''Thank you,'' Temari said. She wanted to be polite and return the favor but the blond didn't bother to be formal. He just looked normal. But then again, even his mother wore casual clothing the last time she was here. Like mother like son, so it appears.

A thought clicked in her mind that forced her to change directions. ''You must be hungry from your journey. Food is prepared,'' how could she have forgotten that? Perhaps this situation made her 'that' uncomfortable.

Naruto frowned slightly. He had no choice but accept. ''Sure,'' he said. The dining room was spacious, but there was nothing more than a large table and chairs inside it. The food was prepared as she'd said. After settling down, Naruto looked at Temari, ''They made you wear that kimono...'' it wasn't a question, but a statement.

''Yeah,'' Temari said. Her father had been insistent that she look good for Naruto. Obviously, her father was more concerned about the kind of benefit this relationship will do for Sunagakure. Her father always thought of the village and its future. With this contract, he'd secured Suna's future, and he wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize it. Not unless something more valuable came up.

Temari knew that Naruto was the only child of Konoha's yellow flash. As far as she was concerned, only her, her father and his trusted advisor, Baki, knew this secret. The council didn't even know of the contract. She guessed it was only a matter of time before they caught the wind of it.

''Next time don't wear it. If anybody says otherwise, tell them Uzumaki Naruto says 'I look fine just as I am''' Naruto said with a small smile.

Temari didn't force a smile this time, she gave Naruto a true warm smile, ''Thanks,'' she truly appreciated the gesture. She didn't hate Naruto because of this - he was 'nice' to her, and the last time he had been very honest with her. How relieved had she been? She was expecting someone older who would be trying tricks on her, but she had been surprised to see someone younger.

''Itadakimasu,'' both said as they prepared to eat their meal.

''How are you calm about this whole thing?'' Temari asked. Even last time he looked so calm and relaxed, despite it being their first meeting.

''My mother was thinking about my well being when she agreed to it,'' Naruto said.

''I can't say the same about my father,'' Temari said bitterly.

''We are in this situation. Either we learn to live with it or remain bitter about it. I would rather choose the former, though. I'm still seven years old, there is still much time to grow around the issue, don't you think?''

Temari didn't need to think about it to give a nod.

Still, despite saying those words, Naruto had been told by Kakashi that there was a high chance that he may just end up not being with Temari. The agreement between Suna and Konoha was between the current Kages. Should another Kage take over before they are even married, the Kage was within his right to declare it void.

Since the agreement wasn't public, it was easy for either nation to pull out without fearing a backlash. Besides, the only reason the adults wanted them to know each other now was so that they could develop some bond as his mother had forced another fine print that clearly said, 'Should Uzumaki Naruto be unwilling or having not developed any feelings for Sabaku no Temari, he has the power to say no to the marriage.' Still, he would have to pay a hefty fee and offer some sealing scrolls to be allowed to get out of the marriage.

Temari wasn't told of this. And his mother had told him to give it his all. For his own sanity and crumbling hope in humans, he was trying.

Two days Later

Moments like these, he really dreaded. The Sandaime has tried by all means to make things comfortable for the Uchiha clan just as he has tried with Naruto. But it just seems like all his efforts have been without rewards. He has not been completely useless as Konoha's Third Hokage. Not by any means, but there were things that were happening around Konoha that seemed to be beyond his reach and control. He really wished that Minato was present at this time. Between the two of them, they could figure things out. He was old. He no longer possessed the influence he once had when he was still sharp, physically. The Uchiha knew of this.

From an undeciding Hokage, he learned to decide things for himself, he learned to take the decisions that he wouldn't normally take. This had been forced upon him by the death of Minato and the consequences that followed. Iwagakure had tried sending spies to check on the village's power to see if it could try something, but Danzo had stepped in and dealt with the threats. He was thankful for the war hawk, a reason he still kept him despite the man having once tried to take his life by attempting to poison Kakashi against him.

Naruto was another issue that forced him to step up. He couldn't allow things to get out of hand, lest he wished to live with regrets for the rest of his life. The blond was a hero in his eyes and he treated him as such. He couldn't force the villagers to offer the same thoughts, but he had ensured that none took their frustrations off the boy. This is a case that he had constantly reminded the villagers that he wasn't called the god of shinobi for nothing.

The Sandaime Hokage leaned back to his chair, tried by all means to appear strong in the front of Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha clan and Konoha's Military Police Force. There was trouble between Konoha as a whole and the Uchiha clan. Trouble that could spell disaster if not handled in a careful manner.

''I hope you kept things tidy in the village while I was away,'' the Sandaime started calmly.

''Naturally,'' Uchiha Fugaku simply said. ''My son has been out of the village for a number of days. I usually don't question Anbu missions, but I feel that he was taken away hastily as he'd told me he had no upcoming missions, and his squad mates remain in the village.''

''Itachi-kun has gone on a secret mission with Jiraiya,'' the Third said calmly. ''You know that I don't believe for a second that your clan had nothing to do with the Kyuubi attack, right?'' He'd already told the man what he thought, but it didn't stop him from saying it whenever he got the chance.

Fugaku gave a subtle nod, ''Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the villagers and the clan heads,'' his tone was cold, no hatred dripping from it, just silently cold.

''That is indeed unfortunate,'' the Sandaime said. ''Despite many assurances to the villagers that your clan had nothing to do with it, they won't believe otherwise. They are hell bent on blaming someone just as they refuse to accept Naruto-kun. I only wonder what they will do if they learn that an Uchiha or at least the Sharingan had manipulated the Kyuubi.''

''Where is this going, Hokage-sama?'' They'd already been through this and he would rather deal with clan matters than go through this again.

''Your son has gone on a mission in Kirigakure. We're told that the Yondaime Mizukage is being controlled by a powerful genjutsu.''

Fugaku took a few moments to digest those words, ''So you believe that if this is true, then it may be the same Uchiha who manipulated the Kyuubi.''

''Yes,'' Sarutobi said. ''If this happens to be true. Itachi-kun may be able to figure out the identity of this person. With that, we may be able to hunt down the culprit and bring him to justice. Perhaps then we will be able to stop the madness going around the village.''

That wouldn't solve the Uchiha's problems. Their problems went far beyond the borders of being untrusted by the villagers. They were pushed away from the village. They no longer had any political power despite operating the Police Force. That was a matter that needed to be resolved. Fagaku doubted anything would be solved unless they took action though. Things with the villagers have already gone past the line of return.

''Is that all?''

The Third nodded, ''Can you organize a meeting between your clan elders so we can sit once more again and think of a way to deal with the... impending issue?''

''I will see if they are willing,'' no guarantees given and the Uchiha clan leader disappeared from the office.

''This doesn't look good at all,'' the Third said to himself. He could only hope Itachi will bring home some good news. He could only hope.

Evening, Later that Day

Kakashi smiled fondly looking at the Kushina through the window from outside where he sat along with a studying Naruto. ''This reminds me of the time Minato sensei had me watch over your mother when she was still carrying you. I used to watch her all day long.''

''So mother tells me...'' Naruto responded, flipping a page on the book he was reading.

Kakashi sighed. ''How was your visit in Sunagakure?''

''Surprisingly pleasant,'' Naruto said.

Kakashi gave the blond a creepy eye smile, ''Oh, did you and Temari get to know each other well enough?''

The tone the Jonin used was enough for Naruto to leave his book and look up to him. The Jonin was suggesting something he couldn't quite figure out. Before he could say anything, his mother's voice burst through the open kitchen window, ''Kakashi, what are you telling my son?!'' she shouted.

Kakashi smiled nervously, ''Well ah,'' he chuckled nervously. The woman could climb out of the window and give him a chase if he gave the wrong answer. How she had known what he was thinking was a mystery he could never puzzle together. ''I was just asking how things went in Sunagakure.''

Kushina gave the man a long stare, ''You better,'' she said. ''Because I swear Kakashi, if you fill my son with lewd things, I will tear off that mask, burn your book collection and make you wear Gai's jumpsuit for a month. Do you understand me, Kakashi?''

''Yes, mam!'' Kakashi gave a stiff salute. He was even barred from reading his precious-chan in front of Naruto. Not even the Sandaime could take out his copy when Naruto was present.

Kushina smiled pleasantly, ''Good,'' she closed the door and went back to her cooking.

''No wonder Minato-sensei always feared going home when he knew he'd done something she wouldn't like,'' Kakashi said to himself. He looked back at Naruto, ''Did you meet her siblings?''

''No,'' Naruto said with a shake of his head. ''I met them last time. It was just me and Temari this time. Besides, we didn't say for too long as jiji said it wasn't safe to leave the village for too long.''

Kakashi nodded, ''When are you going to see her again?'' He wanted to be there so that he could spy on them. He was really interested on how Naruto was handling things. Yes, they were just kids. But... He trailed off when he realized that Kushina might just jump out of the window.

''I don't know,'' Naruto said, closing his book. He sighed, went silent for a few moments. ''Looks like I'll be joining the academy.''

''That's wonderful Naruto,'' Kakashi said with a smile. ''I wish I could walk you on your first day, but I'll be leaving early tomorrow morning for a mission.''

''That is fine,'' Naruto said. ''Still, Itachi isn't here, you're going away, I'm going to be in the academy... I sense that my training will become hindered.''

''Don't worry about it,'' Kakashi said. He took out a scroll from his vest and threw it at Naruto, who caught it. ''The Sandaime told me he told you that you had to do chakra control exercises. He'd given me that scroll on methods I should teach you but I have this mission. So read through it and when I return, we'll pick up from there.''

''Thanks,'' Naruto said.

''Don't worry about it,'' Kakashi said with another eye smile.

The following day

''Note book, check; lunch, check...'' Kushina did her checklist as she looked through Naruto's backpack. ''Do you need chips? Or should I just bring you ramen during lunch time?''

Naruto sighed; his mother was way over the moon by this situation. He doubted she even slept at night because of the excitement that was rushing through her blood. It was as though she was the one going to the academy, not him. ''Everything is in there, okaa-san.''

''I don't want you to miss anything on your first day. You have to impress the other kids today,'' Kushina said. ''Did you ask Ino-chan if there was homework?''

''Mother, it is my first day. I don't have to write homework. And Ino doesn't know I'm going to be joining her class today,'' Naruto said, taking his schoolbag from his mother's hands. The crimson scarf she'd bought for him the other day placed safely around his neck.

''Kushina-chan!'' Mikoto shouted outside their house.

''Oh, Sasu-chan's mom is here. Come on dear, let's go,'' Kushina said, literally dragging her son out. Naruto didn't mind, it was his mother after all. ''Hello, Mikoto-chan, Sasu-chan,'' the red haired Uzumaki greeted the two Uchihas. ''You look bright as always, Sasu.'' She added, pinching the boy on the cheek.

Sasuke reddened a bit, while smiling at Kushina. ''You look full of life as always,'' the boy said.

Mikoto looked at Naruto, offered him a smile, ''Well, this is my surprise,'' she said.

''I don't consider it as such,'' Naruto said. ''When the surprise come, you'll be shocked.''

''Can't wait,'' the retired Jonin looked at Kushina, ''Let's go. We don't want to be late.''

''Sasuke,'' Naruto grunted, taking the front with the Uchiha while the mothers walked behind, engaged in mother talks.

''Naruto,'' Sasuke responded with a grunt of his own. ''What changed?'' Oh he was happy with the situation. With the blond in the academy, he won't have to be worrying about him spending valuable time with Itachi, when that brother of his was not doing any missions.

''Nothing much,'' Naruto responded with a shrug. ''You look excited.''

''I can finally get one over you. We're currently tied 1-1: you beat me with shuriken throwing while I did better with the Fireball jutsu.'' He always did best, he was the best in the academy. Naruto couldn't unseat him. Not when he could do something about it.

''You're keeping score?'' Naruto looked at the Uchiha from the corner of his eye. He wanted to remind the Uchiha that he humiliated him the last time they sparred in taijutsu. But if the Uchiha was suffering from selective memory loss, then he wasn't going to remind him.

''No,'' Sasuke said. He said nothing further as they silently made their way towards the academy.

When they finally reached the academy gates, Kushina knelt down placed her hands on Naruto's shoulders. ''Now go on and make your mother proud, okay? I want you to get good grades and don't sleep in class. If anyone tries anything, either student or teacher, call me and I will be there to straighten that person out okay?''

''Yes mother.''

''Good,'' Kushina said, placing a tender kiss on the blond's forehead. She looked at Sasuke, ''Show him around, will you?''

Sasuke nodded, ''Let's go,'' the Uchiha said to Naruto, who looked at his mother for a full minute, unmoving before he finally relented and followed Sasuke.

Watching the boys leave, Kushina spoke, ''I say my son is the best and he will graduate top of his class.''

Mikoto shook her head, ''I do agree Naruto is smart, but my Sasuke-kun is a genius. He takes after his older brother.''

''Are you willing to put a bet on it?''

Academy

''Oh no,'' Ino moaned, staring at the entrance of the class: Naruto had just walked in with Sasuke. This was not happening, not to her. How was she going to handle this mess. She definitely has to chose between the two of them. Naruto wouldn't be liked by the fan girls if he stayed close to Sasuke, and she wouldn't be able to do anything to stop them from insulting her blacknight.

Her mother would expect her to make hang around the blond. He has bailed her out on a few occasions. It didn't matter that he did it with little care. The effort was what mattered. Besides, she knew he cared a little. He just wouldn't admit it as it would be like betraying his mother.

Ino just watched the two boys...

Sasuke chose to sit at the front row, but Naruto wasn't going to do any of that. He just looked at Ino, who was staring at him. ''Surprise,'' no emotion in his voice.

''Are you lost?'' Ino asked. Iruka didn't tell them they would be having a new student today. He had to be lost. She couldn't have him here. It would ruin things for her as she would have to offer some of her time to him. After all, she couldn't leave her blacknight alone.

''Is this Imuno Iruka's class?''

''Yes.''

''Then no. I'm not lost,'' Naruto said.

''Why? Why are you trying to ruin my perfect academy life?''

Naruto blinked a couple of times before sighing, ''You're not obligated to spend time with me, Ino.''

''Of course I am!''

Naruto just shook his head and went up to the back of the class. He took a seat on the top left corner, and ignored everyone else who was staring at him. The looks weren't of hatred, just curiosity. Understandable since he was joining a class that has already covered more ground. He should be in a lower class, but the Sandaime thought this to be best for him as it had his peers.

Once the chunin teacher walked into the class, the question popped up, ''Iruka-sensei, who's the blond?'' a boy asked, pointing at Naruto who looked as though he was in a far away world.

Iruka looked at Naruto, stared for a few moments before responded. ''That is Uzumaki Naruto. He will be attending with us from today.''

''Isn't that unfair?'' Another kid asked.

''He was recommended by the Sandaime Hokage,'' Iruka merely said, not bothering to go into detail. Saying he was recommended by the Sandaime would stop any questions but at the same time, it would give the idea that Naruto was receiving special treatment from the Hokage. Oh well, it didn't matter since he didn't care. ''Today, we will focus on...''

After three hours of complete waste of his valuable time, Naruto had been justified in his reservations about the academy being useless. ''Mother must truly hate me for forcing me to go through this...'' the blond said to himself.

''I hear you,'' a somewhat tired voice said, just in front of Naruto. The boy who'd spoken, turned slightly to face Naruto. ''If I ditch, my mother will drag me here by force.''

Naruto nodded: his mother would do something like that. ''I can see that happening.''

''A less troublesome way to get through this is to sleep during class,'' the boy said, turning away once more... Off to more sleep.

A/N

The response was pleasant, better than what I'd hoped.

Yes, Naruto has a mother complex.

I will address an issue raised by one of the readers questioning Naruto's intelligence, despite the fact that the matter was answered in this chapter: I believe it was made clear in the first chapter that there two things Naruto hates; Obito and the villagers that make his mother's life a misery Yes, it is stated that he does in fact resent his father. But if anyone bothered to read carefully, you'd note that he only resents his father for dying. There is nowhere in the last chapter that says anything about Naruto hating his father for making him a Jinchuriki. You even forget that Naruto is just a seven year old. No matter how smart he is, he is still a child. He can't get everything right.

Enough with that rant, but I hope that clears things for anyone who had a question along those lines.

The 'Knight' has nothing to do with being an actual knight. I shouldn't say, but I will anyway. The title is in reference to Naruto's attitude or mindset.

As for pairings, I can confirm that Kushina won't be paired with anyone. For Naruto, I don't know.

I've actually started this story in a way that I can develop Naruto in all areas of his life as he grows up. Remember, he is still 7 people!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Iruka cut in an irritated figure with some frustrations leaking out of his ears in a cloud of smoke. His eyes were fixed to the menace that was in his class. A menace he was forced in his every day of life at the academy to teach. Not that the boy ever paid him any attention when he spoke. He'd thought he would be relieved if the boy wasn't taking any interest in his lectures, but it annoyed the crap out of him whenever the blond spotted that look of pure indifference. There was even a day he had been tempted to run up to the boy and drag him out of his class, by his hair.

The thought had been crushed instantly when he thought of who birthed the boy. The mother would certainly kill him. Literally. No doubt about that.

Uzumaki Naruto: Iruka couldn't even begin to remember the day the blond had so even paid attention to his class. From day two, the blond had always put on a look of indifference, never taking part in anything. As much as Iruka wanted to throw the blond out of the class, he couldn't do that. Not without a noteworthy reason. It would get him in trouble with the Sandaime. Not the mention that woman who would snap his neck in a mother fury.

Iruka could remember the day he'd made a surprise test just to fail the blond. Imagine his surprise, when the little irritation who didn't pay attention to his classes, managed to pass his test. Even though half of the class failed because the test was a difficult surprise test that wasn't meant to be passed by everyone. Loathe as he may to admit, Naruto wasn't stupid, he was smart. It had pissed him to no end when the blond had so graciously offered to set the test for him to make them a little difficult.

That wasn't all. There had been a day he had caught the blond looking outside the window. Not listening to him. He had inwardly smirked at the thought that came to his mind.

Imagine to his utter dismay when the bland had not even stuttered or even looked red handed at being caught gazing outside the class. The blond had so simply said ''I can't repeat what you said because I wasn't listening.''

Iruka had been left flabbergasted by the response. Normally a student would try to initiate something that he didn't say or try to make an excuse. But the blond didn't try anything. He stated the situation as it was. No attempt to hide the truth. The blond had made it clear to him that he was only in the academy because his mother had forced him and the Sandaime was blackmailing him to do so.

To show how useless the academy was to him, the blond had gone as far as to say he could do the graduate exam as he was, despite being in the academy for just two weeks. If Iruka had his way around everything, he would have just given the blond the damn exam just so he could get out of his sight. Some teachers could just ignore him and the blond would indifferently return the favour. But that was something that Iruka couldn't do. No matter how hard he tried.

The other teachers have tried all tricks to get the blond to be held back in his academics, but that was useless since he already knew what they taught. When it came to knowledge, the blond had it in abundance. He had even found it bitterly amusing when one of the teachers came back to the staff room grumbling after he'd gotten into an argument with Naruto over the history of Konohagakure. It turned out that the blond knew more about it than the teacher.

Iruka sighed, and settled on the edge of his desk, looking at his students. No one was absent today – which was good. He didn't feel like teaching anything. Well, since they haven't been in the training grounds for some Taijutsu demonstration, he decided it was best to take them there.

''Okay class, settled down,'' Iruka said a bit loudly.

Nobody heard the chunin, or they did just chose to ignore him in favour of continuing with the chatter. If Iruka hadn't become used to this familiar occurrence, a vein would've been throbbing on the side of his forehead right about now.

''SHUT UP!''

That touched the right spot. No matter how many times his loud voice did the trick, Iruka couldn't help but smile in appraisal of his kids silencing jutsu. He always felt content and would smile happily when the jutsu did work its magic to quiet down the little ones. It was a pity to Mizuki though. The chunin couldn't do a better job than he did. Then again, Mizuki was just his assistant. Naturally, he should be the one getting things done quickly.

''We'll be going to the training ground today for an exhibition on the academy Taijutsu Mizuki has taught you,'' the Chunin said.

His announcement was welcomed with smiles by the students who would have anything other than his so-called boring classes. Yeah right. Iruka knew they loved him despite calling his classes boring. They just liked going out there as it was a place they could talk however they wished and they could also watch their beloved Uchiha beat up someone.

Iruka failed miserably to supress the urge to frown when he met Naruto's eyes head on after his announcement: the look was still indifferent, the eyes still blank of any emotion, as most of the time. It really frustrated the chunin that he could never read the blond because he always hid everything behind that untouchable mask of indifference.

''You're in trouble,'' Shikamaru muttered to Naruto, seeing the look their sensei was giving the blond.

While he didn't seem like he was interested, he knew full well that Naruto and their sensei had a rather rocky relationship - if their interactions could be considered a relationship. Iruka held something against the blond. He was certain of this. But Naruto didn't seem to care. No, he just didn't care. Furthermore, he paid no mind to whatever Iruka had to say, and was willing to go as far as to brush off the chunin. Naturally, that made the chunin infuriated with the blond.

''It appears so,'' Naruto said. ''I do wonder what sort of trick he has planned for me this time...''

''Probably going to get you matched with the best in taijutsu,'' Shikamaru said.

If Naruto could get beat, it would embarrass him and force him to pay attention to class a bit. At least that is what he thought Iruka had in mind. It would also be some payback for the many times Naruto has had the class laughing at the chunin. Iruka had it better though. The other teachers... Shikamaru shook his head. How he pitied them.

Naruto was just downright blunt in his assessment of the academy and its education. He made no attempt whatsoever to mask his disdain over the curriculum offered. The fact that they taught simple taijutsu and offered no real training on the expectations of the shinobi world did no better. Shikamaru could concur with the blond on that note. His father does tell him bits about the shinobi world and he knew academy teachings offered little comfort for what was out there in the wild.

The ones who suffered the most were none-clan children, and those from not so shinobi families. Shikamaru didn't have to suffer because his father made him train his mind at home. He was learning clan techniques, so were other children from clans. The others weren't getting any training whatsoever and they continued to look towards the day they become shinobi with false expectations and blind hopes.

Just thinking about it made the Nara heir sigh...

Naruto snorted upon hearing Shikamaru's response. Like hell anyone in the academy could embarrass him. From what he has gathered so far, Sasuke was the top dog in the field. He knew the Uchiha better than anyone. Sasuke may be better than him executing that damned fire jutsu, the Uchiha has never beaten him in taijutsu, even when he does go easy on the boy, just so no to wound his pride too much that it will earn him a Sharingan enemy.

''I don't have any interest in participating in anything. But I guess I won't have a choice if I'm forced,'' Naruto said.

His eyes narrowed at the Nara heir. An idiot? Not the least. The Nara was smart, even so more than Sasuke. Naruto doubted he could win against the Nara in a battle of intellect. The only problem was that the Nara made no effort. He made no effort in anything whatsoever. Naruto believed the only time the Nara would get serious would be in life threatening situations.

''He will force you,'' Shikamaru said.

At this stage, Chouji decided to partake in the conversation. ''You should try to get along with Iruka sensei. That will make your life a lot easier. You won't have to worry about him trying to trip you over. At least we don't have to worry about teachers because we won't be seeing much of them from next year. You just have to survive this year.''

''I doubt we are ever going to hug and kiss,'' Naruto said. ''If I survive this year without suffocation by this environment, I will consider it an accomplishment,'' he suppressed the urge to frown from the knowledge that there was still a number of months before the year ends.

''Its not so bad, Naruto,'' Chouji said with a smile. ''You just have to loosen up a bit and you'll enjoy it as much as I do...''

That said, Chouji felt a sudden urge to fill up his crying gut with some chips.

''Are you guys just going to sit there, or are we going to follow the others?'' Kiba's voice sounded, breaking the three out of their little ice.

''You seem a little happy. Feeling your luck against Sasuke, today?'' Chouji asked, looking at the Inuzuka heir as he got up along with Naruto and Shikamaru.

''Yeah. I have been training really hard since my last match up with that bastard,'' Kiba responded with all the confidence he could muster.

Chouji doubted it would make any difference and Sasuke was anything but a bastard. The term just came to mind because Kiba was just an idiot before Sasuke's eyes. He couldn't fault the Uchiha for having such thoughts. It was improbable that the Inuzuka would do something 'genius' in front of the Uchiha. Not when he lost the little rationality his mind has when he is one on one with the Uchiha.

''I hope you do well if Iruka picks you,'' Chouji still said.

Kiba just grinned. He knew he was going to do well and then all the girls would follow him instead of that arrogant idiot. He could almost see himself happily suffocating in the warm hugs and kisses the girls would be giving him.

Shikamaru wanted to keep his mouth shut as opening it would rouse a troublesome dialogue with the Inuzuka, but he couldn't help himself, ''don't dream too much,'' he said lightly, having noticed Kiba's dreamy look.

Kiba scoffed. Shikamaru was incapable of doing what he could. Who was he to tell him anything? He looked at Naruto at the corner of his left eye, as opposed to responding to Shikamaru's light warning.

Though Naruto could feel the look from the eyes of the brash and arrogant Inuzuka heir, he didn't bother to react to it. In his days being in the academy, there were some people that he would rather not befriend, especially stupid people. His mother may not agree, but what Kushina didn't know wouldn't hurt her. It may wound him a bit, but all reasons pointed that he was justified in his decision and that made him feel good.

Shikamaru and Chouji were alright. They didn't bother with stupid questions. In fact, he could relax with the former while reading his book and the Nara heir lost in the mystery of the clouds above him. That was the perfect friendship. The conversations did carry some weight, and much more worthwhile than discussing which girl was hottest in their class with Kiba and other idiots in the academy.

Although Kiba has been tempted to call Naruto an idiot in a couple of occasions, he knew better. The blond gave the genius of their class a run for his money. Still, that didn't make him like the blond. He carried him above others, almost like he was their superior or something. Well, at least he had something to poke fun about with the blond.

He wasn't going to start it now.

The four reached the training grounds at the academy, with the others already in waiting. No need to be at the front to hear whatever that Iruka had to say, the four chose to stay at the back, wonder about their own business as Iruka started with his prepared short speech.

''Okay guys, today we are going to do some demonstration. I want to see if you have grasped the stances you have been taught. You are gonna have to execute the stances in a fight,'' Iruka said. ''First up, I want two girls to volunteer.''

The lively Ino Yamanaka was quick to take centre stage. Another girl followed suit. This caused the class to form a circle around the two girls for everyone to see clearly.

''Remember, this is just a friendly spar. No need for anything harmful,'' Iruka said. He got them to do the friendship sign before getting them to engage. ''Begin.''

Naruto's look of indifference twisted into a look of disdain as his eyes were brutally forced to witness this shambolic chicken fight between the two girls. Really, his eyes were just screaming at his hands to pluck them out to save them from the horrors. How could academy kids fight so pathetic? It made watching turtles do a 80m sprint all fun.

Even their teacher had the face to show his displeasure in the scuffle. It wasn't considered to be a fight. Not by any chance. 100 year old grannies could fight better.

Ino did win. Cheers to her fans.

If it was a comedy show, Naruto wouldn't have been blamed if he had uncharacteristically thrown tomatoes at the two girls while shouting 'you suck." It was just horrible, and he felt relieved when they stopped doing whatever they were doing. It was even an embarrassment to think that Ino was associated with him and was a clan heir. What were these parents teaching their children?

Ino walked towards Naruto as Iruka begun talking once more - calling two more girls to demonstrate 'proper' academy taijutsu.

''That was pathetic. If I was the one who taught you, I'd wish for an execution,'' Naruto said bluntly at the blonde haired girl.

Ino huffed, ''as if you could do better,'' she said. Seeing the look Naruto gave her, she huffed once more, pink tints on her cheeks. Naruto was a better fighter. She'd seen him beat bullies older than him. He took after his mother. ''I haven't been training that much, okay...''

''I would be shocked if you said you trained at all. I think even a child who started walking a day ago can do better than that,'' Naruto said, once more bluntly.

Ino glared at Naruto for his responses. She was used to it, but that didn't mean it made her smile when she hears of it. She was tempted to even curse him. But it wouldn't do any good. He was her black night after all. ''If you think I sucked that much, why don't you help me?''

''Yeah, like you want to train instead of hanging out with your friends,'' Chouji said, earning himself a glare from Ino. But it was the truth. Hence the boy only shrugged.

Looking back at the 'ring' Iruka already had Sasuke at his corner, his eyes looming above Naruto. ''Naruto, why don't you come here and spar with Sasuke?''

Naruto shrugged, ''I'd rather not,'' the blond said.

''I insist,'' Iruka said rather forcefully.

Naruto stood still. Kiba took the chance to mock the blond. ''What, can't fight without your mother cheering for you? Mommas boy?''

Naruto didn't look at Kiba, but he still responded, ''Kiba, regardless of what you eat and whatever possesses you, do not speak of my other.'' That said, Naruto went on to face Sasuke – who was smirking at him.

How he wished he could just slap that smirk off his face in a second and go home to do something useful.

''I thought you were going to chicken out on me,'' Sasuke said with a smirk.

Naruto wanted to frown. He took no joy in exchanging cheeky remarks with anyone. He could state his observations in the way they were without colouring anything, but an exchange of a talk like this wasn't what he came here for. No wonder he didn't like Kiba's company. Still, he resisted the urge to frown, and put on his indifferent mask, looked at the young Uchiha for a few moments before forwarding his eyes to the chunin teacher on his right.

''Can we get this over with already?''

Naruto wasn't the only one who resisted the urge to frown, Iruka did. Ironically, it was because of the words Naruto had said to him.

The chunin teacher sighed before looking between the two boys. He knew that they were not hostile to each other, and mostly came to school together. Sometimes it was Sasuke's mother or Naruto's mother who came around after school, sometimes the two boys went home together. Still, they weren't exactly friends.

Iruka knew that Sasuke wouldn't want to lose in this sparring session. There was no one who took his academy studies seriously than Sasuke. The chunin thought perhaps it was because the boy was burdened with a lot of expectations. He was a brother to a prodigy, and cast in the shadow of his brother. Naturally, he has to put more effort in his work to step out of that shadow.

It was a line of thought that made Iruka confident that Sasuke wouldn't play with Naruto, but would do exceedingly well to fulfil his expectations. The blond had stolen the Uchiha's spot as the top dog in the last only 'real' test he had them write a few days ago. This was a chance to redeem himself. And Iruka had his fingers crossed, praying that Sasuke does so with flying colours.

In his anticipation, Iruka decided to forgo all proper traditions before a friendly spar. ''Begin!'' He simply shouted.

Sasuke lost his smirk. He matched Naruto's mask of indifference as he readied himself for assault. His brother has always told him to hide his emotions during a battle, for that will make him difficult to read. He could never read Naruto, unless he decides to give out that look of complete utter boredom when the situation calls for it.

The young Uchiha darted towards Naruto straight on. It was an impressive speed for an academy student. As soon as Sasuke reached Naruto, he jumped up slightly before twisting in mid air. His right foot was sent straight at Naruto's head. The blond jumped back slightly to avoid the kick that would have sent him to the side.

As soon as Sasuke landed down on the ground, he charged at Naruto once again, flashed a left hook which was blocked, then another, blocked as well. He attempted a right punch straight at Naruto's face. The blond caught the punch, held Sasuke's fist firmly, before his right foot stomped on the Uchiha's left. He then yanked Sasuke towards him and grabbed the Uchiha by his shirt's neck.

''I have been training longer than you have. Itachi may be teaching you taijutsu, but my teacher is better than him in that regard. I have beaten you before, while holding back, do you think you can miraculously do better than me, Sasuke?'' Naruto asked, in a low whisper, just so only the Uchiha could hear him.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and tried to head-butt Naruto, but Naruto used his hold on the Uchiha to push him back while learning back slightly. The fact that his foot was still on the Uchiha's, made him off-balance owed to his push.

Naruto took his foot off Sasuke's allowing the Uchiha to balance himself. The blond looked up for a moment. ''Shall we end it? We have dinner tonight at your house...''

Sasuke winced at the thought. Their mothers would certainly go at it if one of them won. It didn't matter who won. Both he and Naruto would suffer from their exchange. Sasuke had seen it when Naruto got better marks in the first real test. Those women had made some sort of a bet, and it was downright annoying when everything became heated debate about who was better.

Surprisingly to everyone around, Sasuke nodded. He smiled though, a bit forced. ''You owe me the next time we train with Itachi,'' he said before looking at Iruka. ''I guess you can call it a draw,'' he said before walking away.

Iruka frowned. Said nothing for a few moments, allowing the words Sasuke had said to him to play over and over again. He didn't get what he wanted. Frustrating. At this rate, Mizuki was going to have his way. If Iruka's hearing was working quite perfectly, he was sure he heard the Chunin say that he would get the blond into the training grounds and accidentally hit him hard while teaching him something.

Sighing, Iruka looked at his students before speaking, ''take an hour break. And be back at class after which,'' he said, a bit lowly and walked away.

''Wow, I have never seen Iruka sensei so down before,'' Chouji said, looking at the retreating form of their chunin teacher. ''You really did a number on him this time, huh?'' he added, addressing Naruto.

The blond merely sighed, walking towards his favourite tree to do something useful. Shikamaru decided to return to class quickly to get some much needed sleep while Chouji followed because his schoolbag was in class. His possessions were there as well.

As he settled down beside the tree, Naruto didn't take out his book as he would have liked. He was faced by a mob of girls. He looked up to them.

''What?'' His tone was sharp.

''Stay away from Sasuke-kun, and stop trying to compete with him. You can never be like him or even better him. You're a nobody!''

How boring. To think that he had been made to come here to this place just to listen to this nonsense. Worst of all, to be creeped out by the fact that Ino hanged with such company. The girl was smart. How could she lower herself to bow before this crowd and follow the usual chants and parade?

Naruto was certain that another reason Shikamaru didn't like eating with him at lunch was that he feared these fools. Apparently, everyone was afraid of the fan girls as they could do anything. He had even witnessed them give Iruka some death glares. Naruto wouldn't even be surprised if the girls plotted murder if someone made their prized Uchiha look bad.

Naruto didn't fear them. They were just pathetic girls he could beat up with his eyes closed if they tuned on the violence volume. He has been in some sort of one-sided bad blood with them because of the perceived closeness to their Uchiha. His stating of the fact that they were going to have dinner at Sasuke's house must have been the breaking point.

The blond looked just behind the girls: Ino was standing there, looking conflicted. Naruto just sighed. He has ignored the fan girls when they turned their attention towards him. He knew it bothered the girl that she couldn't do anything. Well, she could. The consequences were just not good for her.

Naruto took out his book, flipped it, opening a page before responding. ''I heard you the last time you spoke,'' he said. ''Now will you be kind enough to leave me alone? I can't read in peace while you're standing there.''

''Are you dismissing us like that?!'' Someone shouted.

Naruto suppressed a wince the loudness of the voice. His eyes fixed on the girls. It was a rather stern look that clearly told them to piss of or else. They may be idiots filled with images of Sasuke in their heads, but they knew danger when they saw it. Heads held high, the girls walked away.

Ino took the time to crawl beside her black night. Once more again, she curled up beside the tree, knees pressed against her chest. ''I'm sorry.''

If Naruto thought he had no emotions or did not care for the blonde, then he had to crush this thought right away. It wasn't the first time that the girl sat so pathetically sad like this when 'bad' things happened to him. It bothered him greatly. He wanted to pull his hair because he failed to understand why it bothered him so much to see her so miserable.

''I'm sorry,'' Ino repeated again, eyes locked down with the ground. ''You've always been there for me. Always. Whenever I call for your help, you always help me out. B-but when you need me, I-i can't do anything. I-i just watch,'' she whispered sadly.

That miserable tone. He hated it. She never used it before the academy. ''You shouldn't bother with it. I can handle. I handled them," Naruto tried to be dismissive about it.

''I know you can handle them,'' Ino said. ''But you already take a lot outside the academy,'' Naruto frowned. ''and here, they still call you worthless, a nobody, a loser and other bad names. You're not worthless. Loathe I may to admit it, you're just better than Sasuke. You're not trying to be like him or anything. You don't deserve it,'' most of all, he was her black night.

''There are a lot of things that we deserve but never get them Ino...''

''I know, but I'm in a position to stop them from calling you unpleasant names they hear outside. I'm your friend. But I'm afraid to do anything because I might lose their friendship. I can stop it. But I'm afraid and I comfort myself by coming here. It even bothers me knowing that you can handle them,'' but can't stop them from saying whatever they want.

Naruto frowned. He wasn't going to read his book. But that wasn't the problem. This kind of conversation he was having with Ino was the problem. Honestly, he hated being put in this kind of position. It bothered him. Ino worried because she cared for him, just like the Sandaime and Kakashi.

Strengthening his mask, Naruto opened his mouth to speak, ''I cannot tell you what to do. But I don't need you to fight my battles. I can do that. On another note, what do you see them anyway? You're smart, they are not.''

''You wouldn't understand...'' Ino said.

''I won't disagree there,'' Naruto sighed. ''Just don't worry about me. I can handle myself. What they say doesn't bother me.''

compared to what he has taken from the villagers, a bunch of idiotic fan girls couldn't even as much as scratch him. He didn't spare them a thought. They were not worth it.

''It isn't a matter of whether it bothers you or not,'' Ino said. Why couldn't he get it?

''Your inability to do anything to stop the situation from occurring is the problem.'' Naruto said, eying the blonde briefly before looking into the empty space ahead.

Finally. It bothered her because of it. Naruto has always helped her. She felt some guilt because she couldn't help him, especially when it was here friends bothering him. She should be stopping them. But she was caught between two things, and she didn't know what to do.

''If you don't want it to bother you so much, do something about it. Perhaps then you will feel better,'' and he won't be forced to go through another conversation like this.

''I'm not like you.''

''Really? You've always been strong and head on. Was it all just a mask?''

''Of course no!'' Ino raised a voice a bit. Her expression changed a bit as she carefully laid out her next words. ''How about I buy you ramen later on today? I know you love it. Just don't tell anyone.''

''That's cool, but do you really think I will tell Sasuke? He doesn't even take interest in you. Nor even thinks of you,'' Naruto said, earning a glare from Ino. ''Trust me. I train with him sometimes, I used to live at his house. Don't you think I should know better? Think of something better to do other than fawning at Sasuke because he sees you as annoying girls. He will not notice you.''

Ino glared at Naruto. He just killed her mood. But she knew he should know Sasuke better. ''Speak more like that and you'll have that ramen on your own.''

Naruto gave a nonchalant shrug, ''I wouldn't complain either way. I do, however, do enjoy the meal when someone is buying. So, I will keep it down,'' the blond glanced at Ino for a moment, his expression a bit serious. ''A word of advice. Things start small, and eventually grow. Don't let your crush grow, Ino. You will turn out to be an annoying little girl and a failure for a kunoichi if you grow up like this.''

''Watch it, Naruto,'' Ino warned.

Naruto just dismissed her warning with a wave of his hand. ''I wasn't done,'' he said. ''Ino, you're smart. Don't let this fan girl attitude consume your every thought. Sasuke is nothing special. You're something else. You shouldn't be throwing yourself like this, you're not cheap. If I had any interest, I wouldn't allow you to run after me, rather, I would run after you.'' That said, Naruto went back to his book.

Ino slapped both her cheeks and looked away from Naruto

a few minutes later

The damn class once more again. What Naruto would give just to be locked away from this hellish academy. What has he accomplished or even learned that is worth while? To be more precisely, what has this academy taught him that will further help him keep his mother safe and his own life safe? The answer came quick as a striking lightning.

Nothing.

He had told the Sandaime of this again and again, but the old man and his mother keep telling him that even though he doesn't learn anything academically, the academy was still good for him. He had to make friends his age, they argued. Still, Naruto saw the glaring holes this time wasting academy was putting into his usual training adventures.

Oh well, he was here. There was no use brooding over it over and over again. The situation wasn't going to change. He wasn't going to go against his mother's wishes. At least on something like this. It sort of gave her hope that he could have a normal childhood. He was still young, and could still grow up with a few good friends. Naruto hadn't thought of that. The only perfect world he had thought of having was one with him and his mother.

A bit bitterly, he used to wish for one with both parents.

Make the best out of the situation and try to grow around it, he'd told Temari. But here he was trying to runaway from a situation his mother had brought to him. Why couldn't he live by the very same words he preached? Naruto didn't like to believe that he was a hypocrite. Far from it. Application in this situation was just a bit difficult. But he understood that brooding over it would only make him miserable, and that would hurt his mother.

Kushina wanted to see him smile and play with other kids. His priorities were ensuring his mother was safe and that she was happy. If he kept resisting, she would only frown at him.

Naruto sighed, looking at the back of Ino, seated in the front row. 'There is time,' he thought.

That girl was troublesome though. Thinking about it gave him a slight frown. So Naruto shifted away from her. He hadn't been lucky to take off his gaze from her without notice. Shikamaru smoke, causing Naruto to turn his eyes towards the Nara heir.

''You look like you're thinking deep,'' Shikamaru said, he was sitting on Naruto's right hand, at the rear row. His gaze turned towards Naruto's object of interest for a moment before lazily eying Naruto once more. ''You haven't told me, how did you come to know Ino? She doesn't seem to be like your type...''

Naruto gave a noncommittal shrug, ''You didn't ask,'' he said.

''Right,'' Shikamaru said. He realized he didn't really want to know how the two met.

Shikamaru eyed the blond with a faintly curious gaze. Naruto noted, but chose not to comment on. The Nara weighed on his thoughts for a couple of seconds before releasing a breath. ''My father wants me to befriend you,'' the Nara said.

It was easier this way than being sneaking about it. Naruto was too smart to remain oblivious of it. And it would be too damn troublesome to be caught in that situation and be forced to explain himself. Saying it now meant he didn't have to trouble himself with anything in the near future.

If Naruto was surprised, he didn't show. His response didn't even strike a precise spot - it merely kept one guessing, ''I see,'' the response came easily enough.

''You're not surprised,'' Shikamaru stated. ''I guess I shouldn't be surprised,'' he added. ''Shogi at my house after the academy. You up for it?''

''Why not? I could do something to sharpen my mind while killing some time,'' Naruto said,

 _T_ _hree Hours Later_

 _Hokage Office_

The Sandaime Hokage smiled warmly when his favourite blond walked into the office he has laid claim for longer than any of his predecessors, as well as his short-lived successor.

''Academy done for the day?'' Hiruzen asked. Despite his question, he knew quite well Naruto couldn't ditch the academy because his mother wouldn't be happy with him, if he did so.

Naruto responded by giving the Sandaime a slight nod of his head as he made himself comfortable of the chair in front of the Sandaime's desk.

He was rather pleased to see that Jiraiya wasn't present. The man was rather persistent in his hunt for some involvement in his life. Naruto reasoned it was better to let the Sannin suffer the cold winds for some time. He was smart enough to know that Jiraiya had his uses. If the man was willing to offer his help, who was he to deny it? The man was a powerful shinobi, one taught by the Professor. Stupidity and ignorance would be the only substance that leads him to miss out on a chance to learn something from the man.

Naruto looked at the Sandaime Hokage with a curious gaze. A brief flash of memories played through before he his lips parted, ''I had a rather interesting conversation with Shikaku-san.''

''Oh?'' No surprise was evident in the Sandaime's aged face, but the curiosity was hardly hidden.

Naruto learned back to the chair, stared into the eyes of the Sandaime, trying to configure his thoughts a bit. ''Yes,'' he said, taking a pause to think once more. ''I appreciated his honesty when I asked if you'd sent for him speak to me.''

''Shikaku is good person. I've known him long enough to know he wouldn't lie,'' besides, lying would've been troublesome to the man – as he would say. If he figured telling the truth was the best option, then he would do so.

The Sandaime had to keep his mask locked firm when Naruto's curious gaze fell upon him once more as the blond studied him intently. He reminded himself that the blond learned reading people. His mental defensives were always on check when he was around those curious eyes. It slightly bothered him that Naruto was never subtle when he studied you.

''You have really been pulling all strings to change me and keep me happy,'' Naruto said ever so calmly. ''What do you think is so special about me that you're willing to do almost everything to ensure all is well. I know you well enough to conclude that you're only thinking about the figure,'' Naruto took another pause, narrowing his eyes further when the Sandaime's mask held up. ''Is it perhaps something you fear? I would imagine that would be the case...''

The Third released a long breath before relaxing. How bothersome that he had to be on guard against a seven year old. ''Why do you think there is something I fear, Naruto-kun?'' Sarutobi asked, his tone lacking any curiosity.

By that Naruto assumed he may have been right. ''That I may perhaps leave this village with my mother if I believe it is good for both of us. The chances of that happening are very high, at least when I become strong enough to protect her. There is another issue of Danzo. Does it scare you that I may be tempted to join his brutal crusade in the hunt for power if he offered?''

Sarutobi frowned. Naruto was dead on. He really should have had Kushina restricted Naruto's entry to Minato's study. Then again, Kushina would've just told him about Danzo anyway.

''You're may be right,'' the Third said, not wanting to outright admit that the blond was right. ''I just want to create a better and secure future for you, in this village naturally. I want you to grow strong and show Konoha that you're indeed a hero. Perhaps then they will accept you. I know what this treatment you receive has put a rather negative image not only on Konoha but on humanity.''

That would be because Naruto knew that Jinchurikis were frowned upon in every land. It wasn't just Konoha, but every other village. Konoha may be the one to have tormented him, but Naruto looked far abroad than just Konoha. Perhaps that is because he'd considered leaving this village.

''Negative image?'' Naruto repeated, looking to be in thought. ''I have asked myself this question: what if everyone else who hates me just disappears, would I be free then, would I be able to live in a hate free world and walk along all streets without a heated glare trying to murder me? Do you know what the answer my reasonable mind gave me, old man?''

Hiruzen just frowned. The answer was obvious.

''An ideal world. Nobody could fault me wishing to be happy. A year ago, if someone had offered to make that wish come true, I would have jumped to the opportunity,'' Naruto said in an honest statement.

This was why the Sandaime did everything in his power to make Naruto happy, why his mother pushed for him to make friends. Perhaps he would grow up with his generation in peace, and they would accept him. He wanted the blond to see that there were nice people out there and that not everyone was bad.

''Itachi opened up a lot, and my mother always tells me to be optimistic and never lose hope, because once you lose hope...'' Naruto let the words hang, the Sandaime could figure out the rest. ''I have hope. Perhaps it is the only thing that makes me sane. Perhaps no, rather, the love for and of my mother.''

''It is the fact that you still hope that I try to create a better future for you,'' the Third smiled sadly. ''I fear I may not live long enough to see you laughing happily, but I still want to do something. I don't want to end my tenure without the assurance that I have done all I could.''

Silence settled in for a few moments. But it was broken when Jiraiya crashed into the office through the window. The sannin seemed to notice that Naruto was in the office because he didn't say anything before he put on a nervous smile and spoke.

''Naruto,'' the Sannin wasn't sure himself if he was greeting the blond or just calling his name.

Naruto glanced at the Sannin for a moment. ''Jiraiya,'' his eyes went back to the Sandaime as he stood up. ''I better be going.''

As Naruto turned to leave, Jiraiya mustered his courage and spoke, ''Wait... Can, I talk to you, Naruto?'' His tone was almost pleading.

''Some other time,'' Naruto said. ''The remaining time if the day is reserved for my mother before we go to the Uchihas. You can talk to me when I'm available... That is... If you don't suddenly disappear...''

Jiraiya would've flinched, but Naruto clearly had no malice or hatred in his tone. It was just light and he felt as though he was merely stating a fact. For this reason Jiraiya just frowned, but nodded nonetheless.

''I will be around,'' he proclaimed rather strongly.

Naruto stopped for a moment, turned around to face the Sannin. Jiraiya reasoned it was the firmness of his tone that caused this reaction from Naruto.

The blond looked at Jiraiya inventively. The Sannin noted it was possibly the first time that Naruto had really _looked_ into his eyes. The blond said nothing though. He turned around and soundlessly felt the office.

Jiraiya looked at his sensei, ''that is a good sign, right?''

''That depends,'' the Sandaime responded. ''Are planning on disappearing or are you going to stay grounded and take your responsibility?''

 _Uchiha Compound_

Dinner with the Uchiha's. For Kushina this was always a pleasant time for her and she knew well enough that Mikoto enjoyed this as well. There was an unwritten pact between the Uchiha and the Uzumaki. The main family and the Uzumaki were family - not like family. They may not be related by blood, but they treated each other as family. It was for this reason that Kushina thoroughly enjoyed her time in these occasions.

In one of those days, Fugaku had decided to join them. The Uchiha head didn't usually join them during their dinners, not because he just didn't want to. But the man was always busy with the Police Force and the council. In recent months, he hardly came back here. He was always locked up in his office at the Military Force Headquarters.

Naturally, Sasuke was sitting on Itachi's right hand with their mother on the left side, Fugaku sitting by Sasuke's side. On the other side of the table, Naruto was pleasantly sitting by her side, as always.

''So Naruto,'' Fugaku, started, looking over to the blond, taking a temporary pause from eating his meal. ''Mikoto tells me you've been doing excellently well in the academy.''

Naruto gave a barely noticeable nod. ''That is the case,'' he said. His tone displayed no form of pride in his record. It was obvious he took no joy in knowing that he was doing excellently better than other students.

Fugaku hadn't expected anything less from the blond. He may be young, but he was an interesting child. He reasoned that losing a father the day you're born, getting a Bijuu sealed inside of you, and then subsequently hated by the village could change a person. Naruto aimed higher and the Uchiha head believed that the blond would reach what he sought. He had the determination and the will to push on.

Fugaku didn't want to frown at the thought of comparing the child of the Minato to his youngest son. Sasuke and Naruto were two different people. On his own right, Sasuke was a genius. Fugaku didn't deny that. This despite the fact that he rarely gave the boy interest. He reasoned that appearing uncaring would force the boy to try harder to surpass his brother.

So far it has seemed to work, or so he liked to tell himself.

Despite knowing that he was only stating the obvious and what everyone else knew, Fugaku didn't hold himself from stating it, ''you're not thrilled by it.''

Well, almost everyone, ''Of course he is thrilled!'' Kushina butt in, a bit loudly. ''Right, Naru-chan?''

Predictably, Naruto's response was to smile warmly to his mother. ''Of course mother,'' he said.

Itachi inwardly shook his head. He assumed Naruto was agreeing with his mother on a different note. While the glaring truth was that he wasn't proud of his achievements from the academy, Itachi could assume the blond was still happy that he was proving him, the Sandaime and Kakashi wrong - the academy couldn't teach him anything and he would do well even with his eyes closed.

''At least his presence at the academy gives someone Sasuke can compete with,'' Mikoto added, a little bit down. Of course she wasn't happy that Naruto was doing better than Sasuke. Not for the wrong reasons, but because she was losing her bet to Kushina, and the woman took glee in it.

Fugaku nodded in agreement. ''Competing with Itachi isn't really fair for him. As much as he may try to be like his brother, Sasuke can never quite pull out another Itachi.''

Fugaku's words seemed to do nothing but crush the raven haired boy beside Itachi. Even though the Uchiha head saw the deflated look on his son's face, he didn't bother trying to explain the meaning of his words to the boy.

Noting Sasuke's despair, Itachi nudged his little brother a little, offering him a small warm smile, ''what father meant is that you don't think like me, you don't have my determinations, experiences that drove me to become what I have become. Because of this, you can't be another me. However,'' his smile widened a bit, ''it doesn't mean you can't surpass me one day. I know you will.''

That lifted up Sasuke's spirits. Once more, the boy beamed up, casting away the gloomy clouds above him that had threatened to drench him in cold depression.

Mikoto smiled at her son as well. ''I also believe that you will surpass your brother, Sasu-chan,'' she said warmly.

''I will not disappoint you, okaa-san,'' Sasuke said, enjoying the faith his mother and brother have in him.

''I know you won't,'' Mikoto said.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, gave the blond a look that clearly said, 'hear that? My brother thinks I will surpass him one day, not you. So does my mother.'

Naruto merely shrugged in response, but that didn't deter Sasuke's spirits. The boy continued to be happy. Naruto could have pointed out as he was now, he could graduate from the academy by the end of the year. But he knew for certain that the Sandaime wouldn't permit it. Even his mother would snap if he thought of leaving the academy.

''Kushina,'' Fugaku said, his tone mildly curious. ''I hear your clan is going to be restored, or at least you're going to make an attempt to do so...''

All eyes turned towards the Uzumaki woman, who had a small smile on her face. It was kind of a smile Naruto had never seen on her. No... She just reserved it for when she thinks fondly of their clan. At least he reasoned. It was likely the case nevertheless.

''You belong to a clan?'' Sasuke asked, a raised brow, looking between Naruto and his mother. The only thing 'special' about the two he knew was that they were the family of the late Yondaime Hokage. He wasn't aware Kushina was from a clan.

Kushina nodded, her smile turning sad slightly. ''The Uzumaki Clan,'' she simply said.

Sasuke tilted his heard, clearly not satisfied by the response. He has never heard of anything about that. He reasoned that it could have something to do with the fact that Naruto was a Jinchuriki and the fact that he was the son the of the Yondaime Hokage.

''They were a 'prestigious' clan who resided in their village called The Village Hidden in Whirlpools. They were blood relatives of the Senju clan and had a healthy relationship with the clan. That relationship extended to Konoha. The Shodai Hokage's wife was from the Whirlpools, an Uzumaki woman. Kushina here once lived there before coming here,'' Mikoto explained.

''You say 'were.'''

Mikoto nodded but didn't explain, Kushina did. ''My clan was peace-loving. We never took part in the shinobi wars despite being allies of Konoha – which was always in the centre stage of the wars.

Despite this, my clan was known throughout for possessing strong chakra, a strong life-force, and most of all, we were masters of Fuinjutsu. Minato is renown for his use in Fuinjutsu, I was in fact the one who taught him a couple of things.

Unfortunately, my clan grew too powerful, and the fact that we never participated in wars meant that our shinobi kept growing. During the second shinobi world war, a combined army of Kiri, and Kumo attacked us. The clan was wiped out. I only survived because by that time, I had already transferred here in Konoha.''

So, the blond was not only smart, a Jinchuriki, but he was from a clan as well. If two villages had to combine their forces in order to fight them, then they had to be powerful. Naturally, Sasuke didn't dare think that the Uzumaki could be a match for the Uchiha.

Still, to think that Naruto's clan was able to survive in a village of its own and grow so powerful that other villages felt threatened was something else. He may not know much about the clan, but at this moment, decided that the Uzumaki were worthy of respect.

''So you're not clanless,'' Sasuke remarked, with a small smirk, eyes firmly at the blond.

''No,'' Naruto said. ''Feeling threatened already?'' The blond asked with a raised brow.

Sasuke scoffed, ''By who? There are just the two of you. You're far away from threatening the Uchiha,'' something clicked in Sasuke's mind. ''Is this is why you wish for the clan to be restored?''

''Yes,'' Kushina said with a nod. ''I still believe that there might be survivors out there. Hopefully, when Naru-chan grows up he will find them , right, Naru-chan?''

It was a conversation they once held, and he had promised to bring the family back together. Naruto knew that his mother has other reasons for wanting the clan to be restored. He could make a few guesses. But it didn't matter because he would do anything to make his mother was happy.

''Of course mother. The Uzumaki clan will be restored to its former glory,'' Naruto said, looking straight at his mother. Uncharacteristically, he wore a rather serious expression. It was a bit out of character because he always preferred a smile when addressing his mother.

Kushina merely smiled at her son, before looking back at Fugaku who was continuing from where he had left off.

''You do know the political consequences for this, how it will effect, young Naruto...''

Kushina nodded. ''The Sandaime explained everything to me. In fact, it was his idea.''

Fugaku noted that Naruto hadn't smiled when Kushina said those words. The Uchiha head smiled inwardly. He really wished the boy was his son. Really. He must know the Sandaime's motives for proposing such an idea, Fugaku thought.

Naruto had no attachment to Konoha other than his mother. If something were to happen to the woman, the blond would leave the village. No doubt about that. He reasoned the Sandaime realized the only way to tie down both mother and son, was to give something the mother wanted. Naturally, Naruto would follow his mother's lead, and judging by the look on the blond's face, Fugaku could say it was going to work.

What a sly old man the Sandaime was.

Kushina probably accepted it because she believed it would create a family for Naruto, give him a healthy environment. Fugaku didn't believe for a second that Kushina wasn't aware that the Sandaime had other motives.

Still, Naruto read underneath the underneath quite well for his age. Fugaku suppressed the urge to laugh because he knew that even Naruto twisted the Third's hand, by using his love for him to get what he wanted. The two obviously cared for each other, but were not above manipulating each other.

It was a rather unique situation.

''I see,'' Fugaku said. ''If there is anything you need, talk to me. Mito was an Uzumaki, since no one is here to claim the Senju compound, I figure you may be in pose position to inherit everything. Naturally, you will be faced with opposition,'' the Uchiha head rose from his head. ''Itachi, come to the Police Force HQ when you're done,'' that said, the man disappeared.

''Hai, father,'' the Uchiha prodigy said monotonously.

Naruto gave the Uchiha a glance, but said nothing.

The rest of the dinner went along silently well.

 _A_ _week Later_

Kushina always enjoyed the sweet moments she spent with her son, especially when it was like this - enjoying a meal in their house. Soon to be ex-house. She liked the Uchihas, they were family, but this was real family. The only part of the family that was missing was Minato. He wasn't here with them. How she wished he could be here for them, give them one of his stupid smiles.

For so often Kushina has allowed her loss to get the best of her, she has allowed it to get a hold of her emotions and lead her into a fit of tears. It shouldn't be like that. It was even more troubling when she had to rely on her Naruto for comfort. It bothered her that he had stopped crying just to be strong for her. She hated her weakness.

Naruto has always been strong. It reminded her of when she was younger. She was always strong, always dealing with her problems head on. She smacked any problem she faced to a pulp. But what had become of her? Mikoto was right, she wasn't like her old self. She should be the one comforting Naruto, not the other way around.

Still, Kushina was proud that she had a son so strong mentally. He didn't allow for anyone to push him around.

Kushina smiled sadly, looking over the table - where Naruto was seated, enjoying his dinner. She looked up as his eyes met with hers. He gave her a curious glance. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but he shut them. Kushina assumed the curious gaze was summoned because of her sad smile.

Such a sweet child, always worried about his mother.

''I'm sorry, Naruto. I haven't been the best of mothers. It is a little embarrassing to think that I have to cuddle up with my seven year old son in my moments of weakness,'' Kushina's sad smile turned into a nervous one, she complemented it with a nervous chuckle. If she hadn't been eating, she would've scratched the back of her head.

Naruto shook his head, a bit firmly. ''You have been the best mother. I couldn't ask for more in what you have given me,'' his response was just as firm as the shaking of his head.

''You wouldn't ask even if there was something you needed, Naruto,'' Kushina said, her smiled all sad again. Naruto didn't refute that. He knew she was right. ''Thank you for speaking to Mikoto, and thank you for being such a wonderful son.''

Naruto smiled at his mother, eyes brightened a bit, his tone laced with some of happiness, ''I do what I can,'' he said before adding. ''But it wasn't my idea to speak to Mikoto. It was Itachi's.''

Kushina didn't find that surprising. Not the least. ''I guess I will thank him as well. But it is your thought that counts the most. Honestly, you act like the adult sometimes. I should have been the one comforting you when you were crying.''

''It is not a sign of weakness, mother. You have always protected me from the villagers who tried something on me. You have been a mother, my protector. The battle against the villagers is one I couldn't win, but you were strong for me when I couldn't do anything,'' Naruto said, with a small smile. ''I don't know what it feels like, but you lost someone who became your friend when you were still at the academy. You lost a part of you. I can't replace that. Being there for you as you have been for me is what I can do. Our bond only grows stronger when we rely on each.''

How far her child has grown. Kushina wished Minato was here. But that was just a wish. This was the reality. It was just the two of them. ''Regardless, the day you feel like crying, no matter how old you're, come to me. As your mother, I will comfort you,'' Kushina said in a motherly tone.

Naruto nodded with a warm smile that was only reserved for his mother. ''I will remember that,'' he said.

''If you keep like this, you will make a girl happy one day,'' Kushina said, smiling as she did. ''I wish you were like this with Ino-chan as well.''

Naruto suppressed the urge to frown. He didn't think about girls. Showing a bit of his warmer side to Ino was something he wasn't willing to do. He wasn't an emotionless zombie. He just felt only his mother deserved his kindness. Then again, Ino has been always there. Even now at the academy. That was the thought that wanted him to frown.

If his reasoning was that only his mother deserved his warmer smile, then at least Ino deserved something as well. He may have been the one to be bailing her out on a regular basis, but then in her own way, she was always been supportive. Though he may never admit it to her, she was one of those people who helped him keep his faith and hope in humans being capable doing what was right, being able to change and do things without expecting something in return.

''She forces me into talking more often than I like,'' Naruto said of Ino.

Kushina actually smiled at this. ''That is more like Ino,'' she said. ''I might even encourage her to drag you out for something to eat like she did last time.''

''You wouldn't do that, would you? Ino is a smart girl, but when it was just the two of us eating, I regretted agreeing to go with her in the first place. I don't want to go through that hell again.''

Kushina merely chuckled and waved off her son. ''At least _she_ can force you to do what you don't want. Regardless, its good for you and I am really happy that you can hang out with someone your age and just talk about random stuff. I am really happy.''

Naruto had to contain himself from frowning. He just nodded with a smile, a small smile.

To keep himself from being a two-faced hypocrite, he had to try. He'd told Temari about working around their issue, try to get used to it, they were still young and would eventually grow familiar with each other. Damn his mouth. He had to once again apply those words.

 _A few nights later_

To think that things would come to this... Itachi shook his head. It had to be done, he told himself. He had listened well to Naruto's thoughts – the blond was willing to do anything to protect that which he loved the most, anything. He had told himself that there was nothing wrong with it. Naruto had spoken with conviction and Itachi had no doubt the blond would follow up to that conviction.

He also knew that Naruto would understand his situation.

For this reason, Itachi stood atop of Naruto's house in the middle of the night with the blond beside him.

''So nothing has solved the matter,'' Naruto said, in a seated position, his legs folded, head cocked to the side, not looking at anything in particular, but at the empty space ahead of him.

Itachi shook his head. ''My mission to Kiri was to prove whether it was indeed true that the Yondaime Mizukage was being manipulated by the Sharingan. That proved to be true, and it was the masked man doing it,'' the Uchiha paused for a moment, studying the blond - who was now looking at him with an expressionless mask.

''I see,'' was all Naruto said.

''The revelation did no good with the elders. They believed that the Uchiha were behind it, and in turn my clan decided to push the Coup d'état ahead of schedule. My father would've ultimately used you, technically the Kyuubi to gain more power in his fight,'' Itachi said. ''Danzo ordered me to rid of the clan before they initiate their plan.''

''If the coup d'état were to occur, with the Kyuubi likely to be released it would further make me miserable and likely put my mother in danger,'' Naruto said. ''I assume the Sandaime isn't aware of this.''

Itachi shook his head. ''He still believes they can talk things out,'' he said. He then walked up to Naruto, kneeled before the blond, his expression a number of emotions. ''I can't kill Sasuke. I can't do it. Please Naruto, watch over him for me. I know this will deal a major blow on his mind, I need you to take care of him.'' Itachi was pleading, almost begging.

The request did nothing but cause Naruto to frown. ''I guess I owe you that much. But if he becomes a problem to my mother, I will deal with him painfully. If he does anything that will risk her safety, I will kill him with my own hands.''

Itachi just nodded. That was the best he could get out of Naruto. But just to be safe, he would speak to the Sandaime after the mission.

''Why kill everyone though?''

''Danzo believes it is necessary, or else they will revolt at a later stage.''

Naruto frowned. ''Itachi, your objective is to stop a coup d'état from occurring. There are innocent families and children who know nothing about the coup, are you going to kill them too? If yes, better just warn me when the coup will occur so I can leave this village with my mother so we don't get caught up.''

Itachi didn't let his emotions show. ''If I don't do it, Danzo will. I would rather they die honourably by my blade.''

Naruto stood up, ''If you kill everyone, Sasuke will lose it. He will become something uncontrollable and I will kill him before the year ends. You know how gullible he is. My mother will be affected by Mikoto's death as well. She can't afford to lose a true friend,'' he turned away from the Uchiha. ''My mother will be left broken. Should that happen. I will kill Sasuke, and hunt you for the rest of your life.

''I don't particularly care for them, but Itachi, think about what you're doing carefully. You care for Konoha, and Sasuke. Killing everything will lead to Sasuke's death. You know I will kill him if my mother is wounded. I imagine for you to avoid that, you'd have to kill me as well. But my death will mean the release of the Kyuubi. Ultimately that will see Konoha seeing another rampage.''

Itachi narrowed his eyes, ''what are you saying?''

''I understand that you want to protect Konoha. Killing only those who can harm Konoha is the best choice for Konoha, Sasuke and Me. Look at it, you avoid a coup de atart, and your mother gets to rebuild the clan anew, while being there for Sasuke to ensure that he doesn't fall into the wrong path. I'm sure you can save your people from Danzo.

If you don't want that. We have a problem because I must also protect what I love. Your options are simple: kill only those who are threatening Konoha, and we will get along; kill everyone else, and leave Sasuke, which in turn will hurt my mother. In response, I will hurt you by killing Sasuke and hunt you down. To avoid that happening, you'd have to kill me as well. However, I will not stand for that to happen. I will even go as far as to let the Kyuubi out to protect myself.''

''Your mother will still be in danger if you do that,'' Itachi pointed out.

Naruto shook his head. ''My mother can restrain the Kyuubi. In its current form, it wouldn't be difficult. Mind you, she once was a former host, and she is a seal master, her clan developed Bijuu sealing techniques,'' Itachi frowned knowing that Naruto was right. ''The choice is yours, Itachi,'' that said, Naruto started to walk away.

''Even with my mother alive, will you look after Sasuke? Take him as your brother?'' Itachi called out, considering his options.

Not for a second did he doubt Naruto's words. The blond was willing to do anything possible and impossible to protect what he loved the most. He was willing to do that as well. So he could understand.

''With your mother alive, my mother will not suffer. I can manage your foolish brother. I owe it to you at least for everything you've done for me.''

End chapter 3

As you can see, I'm trying to build up Naruto's character. Though, I do feel like I have made him too smart for his age. Regardless, let us see what choice Itachi will take.

Obviously I'm trying to build something special between Ino and Naruto. This should help her become better than she was in cannon.

I don't know when the next chapter will come, but hopefully, it won't be after a month.

The Omnipresent Sage

The


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The world was a funny place. Today you were revered as a hero and tomorrow the very same people spoke your name as if it were a curse; the same people who sang praises to you in their dreams now wished for the worst to happen to you.

Naruto was almost amused by the situation in Konoha. The beloved Uchiha Itachi, a prodigy, the light of the famed clan – which had become an object of resentment from the hating minds of Konoha's villagers - had become one of the villagers traitorous. Or so their ignorance led them to call him.

Uchiha Itachi was now being spoken in the same sentence as that amoral Orochimaru. When they sent curses to the snake, they sent some to Itachi. He had betrayed them and turned inti a diabolical power hungry monster who would slaughter his own clansmen.

At least that is what Konoha believed.

It was ironic that the so called light turned out to the dark side, as the villagers now believed. Itachi was supposed to be the savior of the Uchiha. Hell some were even tipping him for the mantle of Hokage once he grew old enough.

Those dreams were crushed in just one night of bloodshed…

The ridiculous thing that had amused Naruto was a reaction from Konoha's people to the tragedy that had fallen to the Uchiha clan.

They cried for the Uchiha as if they had been on laughing terms with them. Uchiha Itachi was hated . They despised him for killing members of the Uchiha clan. They spoke so many curses about his name, and it had yet to be 24 hours after the killings took place. It was only the afternoon, with the villagers having discovered the tragedy early in the morning.

Naruto had heard many people saying so many things. It made him laugh. In the inside of course. Stones would be throne at him if he suddenly started to laugh at this situation. A number of the Uchiha clan members had been murdered in cold blood. There was nothing funny about that. Yes, there was indeed nothing funny about it.

Naruto may not care, but it wasn't funny. It was sad really. Yet, he could not sympathize with them.

The second the situation was highly amusing. It wasn't the killings themselves that were amusing. He had yet to lose himself, or pass the barrier of insanity to be laughing at the deaths of other people. Yes, he may not care, he may not have offered nay sympathies, but he was still a person.

What amused Naruto was the reaction of the villagers in relation to him. The ignorant fools suspected had the Uchiha clan for the Kyuubi rampage. They had gone as far as to show blatant distrust to the clan. They showed no love to it. It wasn't hidden to anyone. It was a reason that he could get along with the clan. Both were seen as reasons for the rampage by the Bijuu sealed within him.

The villagers had cried for the Uchiha. They acted like they had cared all along. Yes, they demanded for Itachi to be hunted down for murdering members of their most powerful clan. They cursed his name while crying tears for the clan. Tears! Tears of sadness for crying out loud!

Was it just him who found it amusing, after everything Konoha had put the clan through?

It was like if he suddenly died and they started crying for him, not of happiness, but of sadness that he had died. Sad that their beloved Uzumaki was dead. Ridiculous. It was beyond the realm of possibilities, yet something akin to it had occurred.

Of course Naruto didn't delude himself to even think that they would cry for him if he died. Hell no. They would laugh and rejoice Monday to Friday. Hell, they would even honour the day he dies as the day of freedom. Yup, Naruto could really see that happening.

Naruto shook his head, sitting inside the Sandaime's office. Perhaps he was losing it. He really needed to get in touch with his inner self and revaluate his thoughts a bit more if he wanted to appear sane.

He had appeared insane about an hour ago. It was the reason he was even here in this office with the Sandaime staring at him with a concerned look. Worried old man he was. Jiraiya appeared worried as well. Naruto didn't get what they were so worried about. He saw nothing unnatural in his actions earlier. It had been perfectly normal for him to act as he did.

Again, perhaps he was losing it.

What had happened was that while the villagers cursed Itachi and consoled the remaining members of the Uchiha clan, they had taken their knives and glared at him. They blamed him! They freaking blamed him for Itachi's actions! They thought he was the one who had manipulated the Uchiha. He was a demon after all. He had corrupted their prodigy. Him. He had done it.

Uzumaki Naruto, a seven year old had manipulated a Mangekyo Sharingan wielder, an Anbu captain. And they were dead serious about it. Itachi had been friends with him. They knew. Since they couldn't understand it. Their logical conclusion was that the big old demon was manipulating the Uchiha. If not, his vile nature had driven him insane. Yes, that explained why he would suddenly do something so outrageous.

Hell, there was even a rumor flying around that the vile demon had manipulated Itachi to do what he did as revenge to the clan for manipulating it seven years ago. That was crazy. These people were not rational at all.

What was Naruto's reaction when he was confronted with this?

He had laughed.

Not just any laughter. A full blown laughter. He'd rolled on the ground clutching his stomach as he laughed. He had even let lose of a few tears as he laughed. It had been a disturbing sight, as he heard someone whisper. His laughter hadn't been a happy one though. No, it was a disturbing laughter that would make Orochimaru wipe off a tear on his left eye.

Perhaps he really was losing it.

But he couldn't help himself. Their stupidity, blatant ignorance and foolishness had just reached a new low. How wrong could they be? He was to blame for everything. Everything! Next up, the rain won't be coming and they were going to blame him for it. The fools. He was the one who talked Itachi out of killing everyone. If it hadn't been for him, there would be no clan to speak of. But he had done it once again.

Uzumaki Naruto had saved the day, yet they still blamed him for the bad.

At least something good came out of all these. The Uchiha clan would be trusted once more. Yes, they would be. If Itachi had known all along that it would take for his clan to be trusted again was for such killings to occur, what would have done? Probably nothing. Itachi's goal wasn't to save the clan, but Konoha.

Regardless, he would be smiling wherever he was.

That thought made Naruto frown and he wanted to yell 'cursed bastard.' While Itachi made his dream come true, and his clan was becoming loved once again, his existence had taken another knock on the ground. This had done nothing but put deep holes in his hopes.

Filthy humans.

He was really growing to dislike the creatures that crawled inside this village. Perhaps they were not even human to begin with. Yes, Naruto wouldn't deny that possibility if someone said it may be true. How he wished there was someone who had the same thoughts as him. If things continued like this, he was going to lose it.

What of his mother? Just the thought of his beloved mother, Naruto beat down all his disturbing thoughts. He couldn't afford to have his mother worried for him. She had to worry about herself.

So lost in his thoughts, Naruto hadn't even realized the Sandaime was talking to him. By now, the old man was waving his right hand in front of his face with a frown, matched by Jiraiya.

Naruto blinked. Four times.

''You said something?'' Naruto said to the Sandaime.

The old man cringed at the lack of emotion on the blond's tone. It was way sharper than usual. Not a good sign. Perhaps Naruto needed to be taken to Inoichi just to check his mental stability. That laughter hadn't been normal at all. If anything, the Sandaime had really thought Naruto had lost it.

Well, he couldn't fault the boy. He had been bottling up things for too long. still that reaction wasn't going to make him sleep good at night. He doubted he would even sleep at all. He had to take measures or else Naruto was going to be insane soon enough.

That laughter had just reminded him of Orochimaru. His traitorous beloved student. Naruto was his student as well. He was very smart, and learned fast. He just lacked the people to call him a genius. Sasuke was called a genius, yet he was no where close to the blond when it came to intelligence.

''Why did you laugh Naruto?'' Hiruzen asked, his tone calm, with some emotions in it.

''Why indeed,'' Naruto said, tilting his head to the right. He rested it on his right palm. He knew the answer, just taking his sweet time. ''I guess I found the situation to be hilarious.''

''It wasn't funny, Naruto,'' the Sandaime said, it came a bit hard than he intended. Fortunately, Naruto didn't seem to have noticed it, or he just ignored it. The Sandaime couldn't really tell.

''Really?'' Naruto gave the old man a look before adding. ''They blame me for Minato's death. They said I killed him. Mind you, I was just a couple of hours old or even less when he died. Then they continue to call me a demon. Me, the son of their beloved hero. Next up, they blame me for Itachi's actions. Full grown men and women, glaring down at a seven year old, accusing him of manipulating a prodigy, an Anbu captain. How is that not funny?''

Jiraiya swallowed. Naruto was way too calm. His tone was quiet and there was some nonchalance in it. It was just wrong. No one should be this clam and nonchalant about this issue in that manner. No one. Even he wouldn't be calm.

He could question the villagers behaviour and their intelligence, but Naruto's reaction was just crazy. He could have understood it if the blond had insulted or lunged at the villagers. Even if he killed someone in the process, Jiraiya would have understood. And he was sure even the Sandaime would have understood that it was inevitable. But to laugh like a mad man?

No one had expected it. Even the villagers had been left bewildered. Some of them had even turned away and walked away. That laughter sent chills to anyone who could think logically.

Had Naruto's mental barriers finally broken. Jiraiya crushed that probability. No. Not Minato's son.

''We have a serious mess to deal with. When other villages hear of this, they will be tempted to act,'' The Third Hokage said to Jiraiya, ignoring Naruto's question. ''You agree with me, Jiraiya, when I say even so, this is way more important for us.''

Jiraiya nodded. ''The Anbu can deal with that, and your advisors as well as clan heads can restore calm to the villagers. We don't want them burning Minato's house or getting any other funny ideas.''

''It will be difficult though,'' the Sandaime sighed tiredly and looked at Naruto carefully. ''Naruto,'' he took a pause there, watching the blond carefully, ''are you really okay.''

''I'm fine,'' Naruto said, with a wave of his left hand. ''Or, are you asking me if I've lost it?''

The Sandaime breathed in slowly and then breathed out. His eyes shut for a moment before responding, ''Yes,'' he said.

''I'm still sane, and the Kyuubi has not tainted me,'' Naruto said, his tone still sharp. ''However, I don't see humans down there. There is only trash. I wonder, would Minato still sacrifice me even if he knew this would happen,'' both Jiraiya and the Sandaime tensed. Naruto chuckled, it was a bitter chuckle. ''Yes, he would do it again, and again, and again. Right until there is no life in me.''

''What are we going to do sensei?'' Jiraiya asked, his expression deadly serious. ''I'm willing to take them out of the village to keep them safe. He is not going to last if things continue like this.''

Naruto looked at Jiraiya. ''Oh, you watched Orochimaru lose his 'mind'. You don't want to watch me fall into that line as well. How sweet. Perhaps mother was right when she said that despite your glaring failures, you are a kind person,'' the blond said. ''But have no worries. It would take my mothers death for me to lose my mind.''

The fact that Naruto had said those words was even more disturbing. The Sandaime opened his left bottom drawer behind his desk, and took out a bottle. This was really needed.

He opened it and halved its contents.

Hiruzen looked at Naruto once more. They needed to move away from this subject. He would consider Jiraiya's option if things don't change. As loathe as he may to admit, things wouldn't change any time soon. And he needed Naruto to be safe.

''Naruto, did Itachi say anything to you? Did you talk to him yesterday?''

''No,'' Naruto lied so simply.

He knew the Sandaime wanted to know if the Uchiha had told him about what he was going to do. The Sandaime knew Itachi would tell him. The man knew he was alike to the Uchiha in some ways. But if the old man was going to put on an act and pretend as if he was not sure about it, then Naruto was going to keep his mouth shut.

''Oh,'' the Sandaime said. ''Sasuke-kun is going to need a friend, can I trust you to be there for him. I don't know if his mother will be enough to keep him from falling.''

Naruto merely nodded.

He closed his eyes for a moment. ''At least the Uchiha has secured its future. Konoha will no longer distrust them and in turn, the clan will grow those strings that were cut off and attach itself to the village once more. The dead can thank Uzumaki Naruto again.''

The Sandaime lit his pipe, while Jiraiya finished the Sandaime's sake. That had been the bitter truth. Neither Jiraiya nor the Sandaime were willing to say it out, but it was the truth.

How it sickened Jiraiya.

"I still can't believe that they would blame you though," Jiraiya said. "I mean, even if I was high, I wouldn't go that far."

"They are looking for something to blame. Itachi was a kind person to them. He was the only Uchiha who didn't act like an Uchiha. He was their rising star. In just one night, everything changes," Naruto said to Jiraiya, without looking at him. "Their damaged brains can't understand why Itachi would act like that. Deep within, they want to believe that someone had manipulated him."

"Still, it doesn't give them the right to act the way they did to you. Its not fair," The Sandaime said, his tone laced with some disappointment.

"Life has never been fair to me," Naruto said with a shrug.

Before anything could be further said, Kakashi appeared in the office in a swirl of leaves. The Jonin had left the village in the middle of the night with a number of Anbu after the reality in the Uchiha clan compound had been discovered. Going by the books, the Sandaime sent Anbu after Itachi. He had already spoken to the Uchiha by then, and knew the poor soul would be safe.

Sending his Anbu was just a formality and just to avoid any suspicions of foul play. It would be disastrous if it came out that Itachi had been ordered to do what he did. The village's image would be shattered with the revelation.

Despite the Jonin being masked, the Sandaime could very well see that Kakashi was really worn out. He must have been running for hours, he thought mildly. He felt bad for sending the man on a goose chase. He knew they wouldn't catch Itachi. But it had to be done.

''You really look worn out Kakashi,'' the Third said. ''Judging by your appearance, I can say you didn't succeed.''

Kakashi nodded. ''We covered most ground but couldn't find him. Even when we tried breaking formation to move one by one to cover more ground, we still didn't find him. But I still believe he is still in the fire country.''

Right he was. Itachi was still in the fire country. Naturally, everyone would suspect that Itachi had committed treason and run off, far away from the fire borders. The Uchiha had anticipated that and didn't move far away. The plan was to stay in one safe place and move when it was safer. That was what the teenager had told him when he had offered to give him a head start.

''I'm sure you tried your best,'' The Sandaime said. ''Go rest. I will leave this to the Hunter-nins. By end today, Itachi will be in our bingo books as an S-ranked criminal.''

Kakashi nodded, but didn't leave. Even though he was a jutsu away from draining his last bit of chakra, he still had to know how Naruto was doing. He would even fall smiling if his body gave up while trying to ask the question. That is how much he cared for the blond.

''How are you taking this, Naruto? Itachi was your friend, teacher as well,'' Kakashi said in a tired voice. The Uchiha had even trained Naruto more than he did, despite the fact that the teenager was always busy with Anbu, and Military Police Force matters.

''As I can,'' Naruto simply said. He was saved from explaining things further when his mother literally broke the Sandaime's door as he marched into the office.

The woman rushed towards her son, and picked him from the chair like a baby. She put him down as she got to her knees. She had heard what had happened. And the moment she did, she'd rushed over here.

Kushina engulfed Naruto into a tight motherly hug. Naruto did what he could, hug his mother back. Kushina had tears on her cheeks. She was crying as she held him. Naruto could feel it. ''I'm glad you're okay,'' she said softly.

Naruto didn't say anything. He closed his eyes. It was okay to put on a sad smile. As long as it was on his mother's back. She wouldn't have to worry about anything because she couldn't see it. In a rare moment, Naruto's mask slipped in his mother's embrace.

''I'm fine mother,'' Naruto finally said, his tone quiet, yet lacking the usual emotion it carried when his mother was involved.

Kakashi walked up to Jiraiya, ''Did I miss something?'' he whispered.

Jiraiya nodded and explained what had happened. Kakashi was disturbed. Angry even. Livid if we're just throwing words. He was getting enough of the villagers tendencies. Their actions sickened him. If they drive Naruto to insanity. Kami-sama could forgive him. He would end up following Itachi in the bingo book.

Giving one last look to mother and son, Kakashi disappeared before his thoughts became a reality. Sleep would do at this time.

After a couple of moments, Kushina let go off Naruto, and stood up. She didn't let him away though. No, she still had her hands on his shoulders, keeping him in front of her. He heated glare fell on the Third. ''Hiruzen, what are we going to do about this?'' formalities be dammed. ''My son can no longer take this crap. I cannot watch this continue to happen, Hiruzen.''

Kushina's tone was way sharper. Unlike her usual loud threatening self, it was calm, yet so sharp. It made the Third tense as he chose his words carefully. The woman was on a brink. Saying anything that wouldn't make her happy would probably make her attack him or the villagers. In this stage, the Sandaime thought Naruto would join as well.

''I know, Kushina,'' The Third said, his expression showing his old age. ''Once Mikoto-chan recovers from the hospital and make preparations for the memorial, you will go to Sunagakure for a week or two while I settle things here. If by then your return is not welcomed, you will leave the village with Jiraiya. I can cover you for four years at most. But by then, you will have to return.''

Kushina nodded. ''Lets go home, Naruto,'' she didn't say a word to Jiraiya or anything to the Sandaime. Simply took her son and left.

The Sandaime leaned back to his chair. ''You get to make things right, Jiraiya. Do not waste this chance.''

''I won't sensei,'' Jiraiya said with a firm nod. ''This will be good for Naruto. Why did you say they will only leave with me if things haven't changed after they return from Sunagakure? You know there won't be any changes...''

''While they are with you, they won't get the chance to visit Suna. They will have to stay hidden. Naruto is still Minato's son. Some people don't need proof to attack. A mere look and they will be convinced. This time I've set up, will allow Naruto and Kushina to further acquaint themselves with the Subaku family. I still believe there is a future there,'' the aged Professor said.

Jiraiya nodded. He didn't disagree with that. ''I'm going to get something to drink. If I stay here any longer, Danzo may show up. Knowing him, he will say something about Naruto that will tempt me to kill him.'' That said Jiraiya disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Ah, speak of the devil.

''Hiruzen we have to talk,'' Danzo said as he entered the office with his two supporters, Koharu and Homura.

''There is nothing to talk about,'' Hiruzen said sternly. ''I'm you have heard about Naruto-kun and have come here to demand that he be brought to your care. The answer is still no.''

''Hiruzen. You and I know very well that the boy is unstable. That behaviour earlier clearly shows that,'' Koharu said. ''He needs to be trained to control his emotions. What if he had lost himself and released the Kyuubi. Do you want to see this village destroyed?''

The Sandaime ignored Koharu, ''Danzo, you have plotted behind my back for the last time. I've allowed you to do as you please for long enough. One more move, and I will have you executed for treason. I know both of you were on it as well. Itachi told me.

He also told me that you had ordered for the entire clan to be erased. What were you thinking?!'' The Sandaime shouted, banging his hand on the table, forgetting about a thing called secrecy. The third calmed himself. ''Naruto will be leaving Konoha for a while with Jiraiya. You have nothing to worry about. Now, get out of my office, I want to do my job.''

''You can't be serious, Hiruzen. The boy needs Danzo!'' Koharu shouted.

''Koharu, you went behind my back when you ordered for the Uchiha massacre. Luckily, Itachi chose to kill those who knew of the coup. We still have a clan now. The Sharingan won't be extinct,'' the Sandaime said lowly. ''You're not Hokage. You have no power ordering my shinobi. If I ever hear you are doing it again, I will have you locked up in a cell for usurping my authority. I assure of that. Danzo, if you make a move towards Naruto, I will make you regret it.'' The Sandaime said. ''Anbu! Escort my advisors out of the Hokage tower. They must never set foot until I say otherwise, and get me someone to fix my door.''

Konoha Hospital

Naruto wondered along the busy hospital with his mother steadily on his right hand – both were heading towards Mikoto's room.

Not so surprisingly, the nurse didn't want to tell them where Mikoto rested. His mother had turned on the menace to get what she wanted. Whilst his mother threatened to rip the woman apart, Naruto had simply watched it all with a look of nonchalant.

After what had just happened today, he could care less if his mother killed someone. In the days of the past, he was willing to stop her from killing the foolish villagers, but now he wasn't going to do any of that.

He hadn't stopped her back then because he cared. No, he just didn't like his mother dirtying her hands by killing filth. But now he could say he wasn't worried about that. If she killed one of them. It was a happy day for him. Konoha would have one more filth removed. He reasoned letting then die was a service to Konoha.

These people were vile creatures. They polluted the village with a spirit of ignorance, hatred and foolishness. Their deaths would clean Konoha and make it a bit bearable for him and his mother.

How could he complain over that?

''It is getting difficult to deal with them, huh?'' Kushina said to Naruto. She was also at her limit. She wasn't preaching the gospel at this time. Things needed to be revaluated before she could preach again. At this stage, she was most concerned about Naruto's mental health above all things.

Honestly, Kushina wasn't concerned about the state of the village. She was worried about her son and her friend. Above all things, Naruto stood.

What would Minato do if he were here? Would things even be like this if he was alive? Perhaps not. Perhaps Naruto would still be hated while they hailed their Yondaime Hokage, their greatest Hero. Kushina frowned at the thought. If only Minato had listened to her when she said it was better she re-seal the Kyuubi inside of her. Naruto would have been living a normal life. She could be hated for all she cared, but as long as Naruto was able to live normally, she would have all reasons to smile.

Now, she wasn't a matter. Her son was the menace to this village – or so the villagers believed. How it infuriated her. Still, she wasn't willing to give this village the middle finger. Mito had said the only way to conquer hatred was through love. She wasn't about to open her heart for this village to stab it all up. No, she believed as long as she continued to love her son and those close to her, she would rise above this hatred.

They'd survived so far and were actually doing well. Naruto had been doing at the academy. He was finally adapting. He had learned to ignore the villagers while focusing on the positives of this life. And this had to happen to screw it all up.

''Yes, it is,'' Naruto said, in agreement with his mother. ''But we survived the first wave. We will continue to survive even this one. As long as we continue to have each other.''

Kushina smiled, nodding as they rounded up on a corner. ''It is puzzling how things can change over night...''

''Everything changes overnight. That horrible night you were excited about giving birth, but that turned out to be a nightmare. After birth, I had explosives tags all over me, and you had to go through the extraction of the Kyuubi – which nearly cost you your life,'' Naruto said quietly, a bit sad. It was okay to show emotions, he was in the presence of his mother. ''Regardless of all these things happening, as long as I have you, I will always look forward to tomorrow.''

Once more again, Kushina smiled warmly at her son. At least he was back to his usual self. That 'incident' had really shaken her. But she was happy that Naruto was back at being Naruto again. No lasting damage was done. Naturally, if there had been damage she would have hunted down those who caused it and rip their flesh apart with her chakra chains.

''As long as we have each other,'' Kushina muttered. ''But when you grow up into a handsome man. You're going to leave your poor mother alone and runaway with a girl.'' Despite saying so, Kushina didn't see that happening. She wanted for it to happen. But Naruto was too clingy to leave her. Perhaps when he does grow things will change. It had to. For his own happiness.

''Why do you think I would leave you mother? Besides, at this age, do you think I should be hearing about running off with some girl? I don't even get that kind of love,'' Naruto said, giving his mother a sided look.

Kushina shrugged. ''Though I hate to admit it, you don't talk like a seven year old, Naruto. You're all grown up while trapped in a little body. But I'm not saying you must start reading those perverted books your teachers read. I swear if I find you reading those things...''

Naruto gulped, nodded all too quickly. He may not have had the thought to read to those books, but if his mother said not to, he was going to nod as if he had the plan to read them. The books he read were Fuinjutsu books and some elemental manipulation. He didn't have time for smut.

''I won't go that far mother,'' Naruto said, as honestly as he could.

''I know you won't,'' Kushina said with a smile. He was all too focused on strengthening himself to be dragged into other things that could corrupt him. And he was too smart to be tricked into reading those books.

Nothing further was said as the two finally made it to Mikoto's room. The black haired was lying on her back, covered with white sheets, wide awake. Her broken son sitting just beside her, staring into nothing in particular with a dark look on his face. A look that shouldn't be on a seven year old.

Naruto shouldn't be the one to say. Not after how he scared the villagers.

The atmosphere was just gloomy. It was sad, really. Sasuke was once a happy child. It was often amusing to Kushina when she used to see him pout when his older brother would say he couldn't train with him. Or when he looked embarrassed when his mother treated him like the little boy he was in front of other people.

What had happened to that happy Sasuke?

He looked emotionally dead.

From what she had heard, he had yet to say a word to anyone. He refused to speak to the Anbu, or anyone for that matter. His mother hadn't been strong enough to say anything. Both were just allowing their gloomy thoughts to consume them. In Sasuke's case, dark thoughts. Very, very dark thoughts. If one entered the young Uchiha's mind, they would runaway away fast without turning back.

Despite this, Kushina smiled, and looked at her friend. She walked over and hugged the older woman, smiling sadly. ''I'm so happy that you're okay. I don't know what I would've done if you'd died too,'' the Uzumaki woman said all too honestly.

Upon hearing this, Naruto gave himself a pat on the back. Uzumaki Naruto had saved the day once more again. He had done right ensuring that other members of the Uchiha clan lived. His threat had been no means a bluff. He had been dead serious. And now it pleased him to know that his forcefulness had brought upon this result.

Uzumaki Kushina wasn't lost. She still had a friend.

The two women continued to talk while Naruto kept his silence. It was better to allow he adults do their talking. Besides, Mikoto needed a friend right now. She needed someone to comfort her. Yes, he was that considerate, to Mikoto at least.

''Can you take Sasuke with you? I was told he hasn't eaten anything all day, and he can't stay here all night. He needs to rest,'' Mikoto said to Kushina after the Uzumaki had said her goodbyes.

''Sure,'' Kushina said. ''You once took care of my Naruto. Now its my turn to look after your Sasuke,'' she added all too happily.

''Sasuke-kun,'' Kushina called warmly to the boy, but she was ignored.

''Sasuke-kun?''

''Sasuke?''

The Uchiha didn't respond. It didn't seem like he had even registered any of her words. He merely stayed frozen, staring into the empty space with a dark look. Mikoto frowned, but said nothing, allowing Kushina to handle it. She was too emotionally tired to be stressing out now.

Kushina touched Sasuke's right shoulder, trying to get his attention. ''Sasuke-kun?'' She flinched when the boy gave her a sharp look. It was as if he'd just said 'what?' in cold words. ''You need to test. Come with me.''

Naruto frowned. Any more of this and he would snap the Uchiha's fingers to get him to behave properly when his mother was talking to hm. Before his mother could flinch again, Naruto walked over to the boy. He did a quick chop at the back of his head and the Uchiha fell down. He didn't even attempt to catch the boy.

He wasn't that considerate to a person who treated his mother in such fashion.

Kushina merely shook her head at this, But she said nothing. She picked up the unconscious boy and placed him on her back before Naruto decided to drag him to their house by his feet. Oh, Kushina had no doubt Naruto would go that far.

''Kushina,'' Mikoto started quietly. ''Can I talk to Naruto for a moment?''

The Uzumaki looked at Naruto before nodding. ''Just don't take too long,'' she said leaving the room.

''Come closer, Naruto,'' Mikoto said. Naruto did as told, and the woman held out her left hand. Naruto took it with his right. ''Thank you, Naruto.''

Naruto raised a curious brow at her thanks. He presumed Itachi told her the truth. But there was nothing to thank him for. He said what he said for his own selfish reason.

''What did I do to be thanked?'' Naruto still asked the question, despite his flow of thoughts.

''You saved my life and my clan. Sasuke will still grow up with a mother because of you. I will forever be grateful. If I had I daughter, I would give her to you,'' Mikoto chuckled knowing Naruto wouldn't accept that offer. ''But I don't. I can only say thank you. If there is anything you want, anything at all, Come to me. I owe you my life so that will be the least I can do.''

Naruto shook his head. ''You know you don't need to thank me, Mikoto-san. I-'' he was cut off.

''My husband is dead. I'm widowed. Call me Mikoto,'' she said, sadness in her tone. ''I know why you did it. And I know things have turned worse for you. Regardless of your reasons, I was saved because of you. Fugaku was really shocked when he heard it. He said if there had been a ritual to make you an Uchiha by blood, he would order me to do it,'' Mikoto pulled Naruto closer, playing his right hand on her chest as she gave him a warm smile. ''No matter what people call you. Don't listen to them. You, Uzumaki Naruto, are my hero.''

Naruto simply nodded in a speechless manner. Those were the words he never thought he would hear in his life. He'd heard her correctly. She called him her hero. He was in her heart. He, Uzumaki Naruto, was her hero.

He had been recognized.

The words may be coming from the mouth of the familiar Uchiha Mikoto, but those were the words that came from the heart. Those last two words reached a part of his heart that he didn't know existed. The feeling he felt was so confusing that he walked away without another word.

Kushina's house

Everything was back to normal again. Naruto was home, eating dinner with his beloved mother. Well, it wasn't that normal because there was someone else with them – a someone who was quiet as a mute.

Kushina looked up at Naruto, ''I never asked. Do you like the idea of traveling the Elemental Nations along with Jiraiya? You two don't get well. So if you don't want him, we can leave with Kakashi.''

Naruto shook his head. ''Jiraiya is just fine,'' he said.

The Sannin would do. Between him and Kakashi, the toad sage had more experience and was a lot more powerful. Besides that, Kakashi was not that suited for this task.

''You mean to say Jiraiya is more useful?'' Kushina said, that is what his words sounded like. ''Sometimes I don't know whether I should be proud or sad,'' she mumbled to herself.

''I mean that in a nice way,'' Naruto said. ''Jiraiya is a Sannin. His reputation succeeds that of Kakashi. With him around, we won't have many people bothering us, and given that Jiraiya spends his time outside the village, he obviously knows the outside better than Kakashi.''

That was reasonable enough.

But Kushina knew there was more, ''And?''

''Jiraiya is Konoha's main source of vital Intel. This leads me to conclude that he has some sort of a spy network. While we are away, we can use his resources to find other Uzumaki who survived,'' Naruto explained.

Kushina smiled, ''I like that idea!'' she said happily.

All that happiness died when her eyes turned to Sasuke. He had yet to touch his food. He was just staring at it. She frowned. This was going to be difficult to deal with. Kushina moved closer to Sasuke.

''Sasuke-kun, eat up. If you don't eat up, you're just going to worry your mother. Please eat your food,'' Kushina said, in a warm, motherly tone.

Sasuke ignored her.

''Sasuke-kun?''

He ignored her again.

''I know you're hurting, Sasuke. I understand, but you have to eat,'' Kushina tried to get his attention by placing her hand on his shoulder, but Sasuke batted it away, and snapped.

''You understand nothing! You don't get it! Don't pretend like you know what I'm feeling!'' He ushered a dark look at Kushina, his tone just chilling. "And don't tell me what to do. You're not my mother!"

Naruto's look twisted and he got up from his chair. He grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his shirt, smiling at his mother warmly. ''Okaa-san,'' he said sweetly. ''Please let me worry about him. Just finish up. Oh, and whatever you hear, don't come,'' that said, Naruto, literally, dragged Sasuke towards the kitchen.

''You ungrateful little...'' he threw Sasuke at the kitchen unit. The Uchiha grunted as he hit the unit with his back. Naruto's right hand grabbed a frying pan, and bam! The thing hit Sasuke on his forehead, causing blood to leak out.

''We have been through worse than you, Uchiha,'' Naruto slammed his right foot on the Uchiha's chest, pressing him against the unit. ''Who do you think you're talking to? Look at me?'' Naruto pressed, earning a dark look from the Uchiha, but he just tossed it aside.

The frying pan was still on his right hand. ''Talk to my mother like that again, and I will break your fingers, one by one,'' to demonstrate he was dead serious, he took Sasuke's left hand, bended one of the fingers with so much force that it nearly snapped.

''Grrr!'' It was the third time Sasuke was letting out a pained sound.

''If you give her that look again, I will smack you with this thing again,'' Naruto said, glaring Uchiha. He let the boy go. ''Now, wipe that blood off your face and go apologize to my mother. I will be watching you. And eat your food or I will shove it down your throat.''

Naruto walked away, going back to the dinning table. He settled down on his chair and continued as if nothing had happened. ''Do you think Tsunade will try to take the Senju possessions away from us if she does return to Konoha?''

Kushina gave Naruto a look, but before she could say anything, Sasuke crawled back to the dinning table. ''I'm sorry,'' he merely said and sat down to eat his food, but not before sending Naruto a glare.

Kushina just smiled. At least he was eating, she thought. She knew quite well Naruto hit the poor boy. Looking back at her son, Kushina responded to his question.

''Legally, once we claim it, Tsunade won't have any right. She has abandoned her village long ago. She has no say,'' Kushina said with a shrug.

Naruto nodded, ''at least in the Senju compound we can have lots of space and I won't have to breathe the same air as the villagers,'' he said, a bit satisfied with that.

''Well, technically...''

''I know,'' Naruto said. ''We will get lots of money as well. It is a pity we can't spend it as we like in this village,'' the blond sighed. ''Well, I see will what I can get in Sunagakure and as we travel.''

Kushina nodded. She smiled, ''I'm really looking forward to it. I don't know when was the last time I walked away from this village walls freely. It will be good to get some fresh air.''

''Yeah,'' Naruto frowned when he looked at Sasuke. Itachi had asked him to look after him. He should have said no. The spoiled brat was going to give him problems. ''We may have to take him with us,'' he added.

Kushina actually nodded in agreement. ''He will need the time away as well. If is it clear his mind, he will have to get some fresh air,'' she said and looked at Naruto, unblinking. ''Please be nice, Naruto-kun. Sasuke is not like you.''

Naruto shrugged internally. ''At this stage, words won't do. Physical pain has to be inflicted for him to respond. Besides, do you think this world will wait for him to grow up? Sasuke only lost his father. Yet, he's acting like everything was taken away from him.''

Yup, they were talking as if the said Uchiha wasn't even in the room with them.

''Itachi was everything to him, Naruto. Sasuke adored his brother. After this, he has to be hurt,'' Kushina said. But Naruto wouldn't understand, so she didn't explain further. Seeing that the two had finished eating, Kushina spoke, ''Go wash your hands, you two. I will do the dishes. Naruto, you know what to do.''

The blond nodded, ''Come on,'' he said to Sasuke.

The raven haired just followed him in a quiet mode. Once everything was done, Naruto said good night to his mother and had Sasuke follow him to his room. Everything was already prepared.

Both took off what needed to be taken off and went under the red sheets.

'This night is going to be long,' Naruto thought, seeing that Sasuke was staring at the ceiling with that dark look of his.

''Sleep, Sasuke. You still have tomorrow to think. At this rate, you're going to cripple your mind, and you'll be prone to more outburst. Mind you, if those outburst, happen in front of my mother, I will break you,'' Naruto turned to the other side. ''And you know I can do it, right?''

It took a few moments, but Sasuke shut his eyes. When it came to his mother, Naruto didn't joke around. Even in his state, Sasuke was able to understand that. His earlier beating had been proof of it.

The following Day

Senju Compound

With recent events, the Academy had been closed. The Sandaime said it would be closed for at least two weeks. Naruto had no complains. In fact, he couldn't have it any other way. If they suddenly decided that the Academy wouldn't re-open until next year, he would gladly run around the village with a wide grin on his face, greeting everyone. Naturally, that was just wishful thinking. It would be a disaster for the Academy to be closed for that long, and the Sandaime wouldn't make such a decision. The civilians and shinobi parents wouldn't like it either.

Naruto could foresee a strike if such a decision was made.

Everything was slow around the village. But within a week, things would calm a bit. The slowness didn't mean there wasn't a buzz of activity inside the walls of the village. The slowness was caused by the abundance of activities that needed to be fulfilled.

Itachi had almost pleaded with him to look after Sasuke, and he was going to do that, in the best way he could. He didn't care if he had to break the Uchiha's legs in the process. Itachi didn't define how he should look after his little brother, and the older brother must know that between Sasuke and his mother, Naruto would always choose Uzumaki Kushina.

Mikoto was only released this morning and as far as he knew, she was burdened with clan matters. Perhaps he should help her out. Surely there were going to be some paperwork needed to be filled, and the funeral arrangements for the slain clan members. The memorial service for everyone was to be held in in two days. It was an event that will surely have Konoha in full attendance.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, his expression displaying no emotion as the cold eyes of the Uchiha stared back at him. They were in the training ground within the compound. He'd decided that since Sasuke wanted to release some pent up stress, it was best to hit the training ground. He wasn't that much interested in dealing with the emotional problems with the boy, he just wanted him to loosen up so that he wasn't a bother to both their mothers.

Mikoto told him something no one has ever told him. She told him he was her hero. Her saviour. In Naruto's book, the woman deserved some sort of special treatment and that meant looking out for her.

''Don't use ninjutsu,'' Naruto said, laying out the instructions. ''You can use kunai or shuriken, but no Fireball. Do you understand those simple words Sasuke?''

''Hn,'' that was the response Naruto received from the young Uchiha.

So tempting... Naruto was tempted to walk up to the Uchiha and smack him around. Hn, wasn't a response. He wanted a clear answer not a mere grunt. He held himself though. Physical punishment had its own limits. There would be a time a beating wouldn't suffice. So it was best to give the beatings in a situation that was dire.

Naruto wasn't allowed to continued with his thoughts as Sasuke darted towards him in fury. The blond frowned. Sasuke wasn't thinking straight. He was just charging head on, and he didn't doubt the Uchiha would mistakenly kill someone if he fought someone weaker in this state of mind.

As Sasuke threw punches at him, Naruto just dodged them, moving back slightly. When the Uchiha turned to kicks, he blocked them, keeping his gaze firmly into the eyes of the raven haired. With each dodge and block, Sasuke was growing frustrated. This was evidenced by the look on his face and his strikes were becoming ferocious, vicious by the second.

Around this time, Ino made an appearance, but she didn't say anything. She just settled at the back of the house, watching the two fight, her eyes firmly on Sasuke, even though she'd come here for Naruto. Worried about him.

Sasuke threw a high footed kick with his left foot, aimed at Naruto's shoulder. The kick was caught by Naruto's right hand. Moving shiftily, Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the throat and slammed him down the ground. His hands wanted to beat up the Uchiha. His feet wanted to crush him. But it was not worth it. Not when it would only serve to antagonize the Uchiha further.

He really didn't want to deal with an Uchiha who was out to get him and he certainly didn't want to make Sasuke an enemy.

''Your movements are sluggish, and you are leaving gaps in your attacks. You can't hit anyone when charging without thinking,'' Naruto said before hitting the Uchiha on the forehead, lightly. ''Your mind is clouded. If you want to train with me, clear your mind and don't leave your intensions so clear that even a blind man can see. Now go home, your mother is waiting for you.''

Not a word left Sasuke's mouth as he shot up. Looked as if he was considering hitting Naruto from behind, but he shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

Ino smiled nervously as the Uchiha neared her, ''Hello, Sasuke-kun? How are you?''

Sasuke just walked passed by her. Not even bothering to look at her. As far as it seemed, the Uchiha didn't look like he had heard her. But Ino knew better. Sasuke had heard her. He just ignored her. She frowned.

''Welcome to the party,'' Naruto said, walking past the blonde. Ino followed him without saying a word. She was too engrossed in her thoughts to think of a reply. Her body just moved automatically.

Ino became aware when Naruto closed the front door of his new house. He walked towards two trees that were in front of the house, and climbed up. Ino couldn't, so she sat down, her back pressed against the tree's trunk.

''Sasuke's become cold,'' Ino said sadly. ''I don't blame him though. He is going through a lot.''

''It doesn't give him the right to ignore people though,'' Naruto said. His eyes looked down at the blonde, ''his treatment of you hasn't changed. Whether happy or cold. He still ignores you. That must sting.''

Ino frowned. It did sting. Naruto didn't care, just stating what he thought. He didn't understand what she felt for Sasuke. She didn't even think he knew were it stung. Shaking her head, Ino pressed down her thoughts to focus on the matter that brought her here.

''I overheard my father telling my mother about your episode. They said you lost your mind for a minute and that it was so serious the Sandaime considered taking you for a psychological evaluation,'' Ino said, her tone revealing her worries.

''So you came on to check if it was true that I lost my mind or not?'' Naruto asked.

''Yes,'' Ino didn't deny it, ''but I also came because I was worried about you. The Naruto I knew would have just walked away. You always have control over your emotions. So, when I heard that you were rolling on the ground in laughter, I thought perhaps you'd snapped.''

''I'm fine,'' Naruto stressed the words. ''I merely laughed because I thought it was funny. No,'' he corrected himself with a shake of his head, ''it was funny and I couldn't help myself.''

''It wasn't funny Naruto!'' Ino nearly shouted. She calmed herself and repeated her words in a subdued tone. ''It wasn't funny.''

''From where I was standing, it was amusing,'' Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. ''Perhaps I do have a twisted sense of humour.''

''No you don't,'' Ino said, her tone hard. ''You hardly laugh at anything. I would have cried in that situation, not laugh. I don't think anyone in their right mind would laugh in that situation.''

''Hmm? So are you saying that I wasn't right in the head when I laughed? Are you suggesting that I momentarily lost my sanity?''

''No,'' Ino said with a shake of her head. ''I'm not saying that. It is just that, no one behaves like that. So, we have to consider the possibilities...''

''If I'd lost my mind, I would know,'' Naruto said, but then smiled, a bit sickly. ''Perhaps I did lose my mind for a moment. If so, what about it then?''

Ino shifted uncomfortably. ''I just came to see if you were okay,'' she said. ''Who will protect me if you lose your mind?''

''Daddy,'' Naruto said. ''As much as you say I am a mammas boy, you are just as attached to your father as I am to my mother. So you can always call him when in trouble.''

''Hahaha. Very funny, Naruto,'' Ino said. ''Is it true that you might go away?''

''Yes,'' Naruto said. ''Just for a couple of years. Will return before you even leave the academy.''

''Oh...'' that was all Ino said before she fell silent.

Uchiha Compound

A sad plastered across Mikoto's face when Naruto walked into her house, that usual look of indifference on spread across his face. He was his usual self. At least nothing was bothering him. She'd thought the hostile situation within the village would get to him, but it was pleasing to know that he was okay. Still, that look of indifference could all be just a mask hiding the underlying problems that laid deep within the heart.

Mikoto believed that Naruto was well capable of handling his emotions. In so many ways, he was like Itachi. He didn't need his parents to handle his emotional problems. He handled them by himself. Naruto was still young, he was just a cute little boy, but he could handle himself.

Perhaps that little incident was good for him. Just to release some pent up feelings.

''Hello Mikoto,'' Naruto greeted, with a wave of his right hand and a small smile spread across his face. ''Already at work?''

Ah, he remembered, Mikoto thought with a smile. Looking at the paperwork on the coffee table, Mikoto nodded. ''I have to arrange everything myself. There isn't anyone available to help me out. Where is your mother?''

''In a meeting with the Sandaime,'' Naruto said, before he sat down on a sofa, just across the coffee table. ''She's finishing clan matters and making necessary arrangements for the visit to Sunagakure and our inevitable departure.''

Mikoto nodded, smiling sadly. ''It seems like we'll all be busy trying to rebuild our clans. The Uchiha's military power disappeared over night. I have to shut down the Military Police Force because of this,'' she sighed tiredly in the end.

''Itachi didn't spare any, huh? I guess it is to be expected,'' Naruto said. ''It is fascinating how the entire clan was able to rally behind the idea of a rebellion. I mean the remaining members had stayed away from shinobi matters. So in battle, they were useless.''

''Most of them were in the Military Police Force. They were almost disliked as you were. No body really liked them. They didn't enjoy their time within the streets of Konoha. If there were 50 of you and were to sit down and discuss revenge on Konoha, wouldn't you all agree?'' Mikoto asked.

''Possibly, but there is never such a thing as perfect unity in the shinobi world. One may have a different idea, but only agree with the idea because it was objective of the majority,'' Naruto said. He tilted his head, studying Mikoto's features. ''I presume this was the same with you...''

Mikoto nodded with a sad smile. ''I never agreed to the idea of the coup because I knew of the consequences it would bring. The whole idea had so many things to consider. But I was just a wife of Fugaku. My thoughts were not relevant. I just had to accept the choices made,'' she said.

''Same with, Itachi?''

Mikoto frowned slightly. Itachi. No matter, he was her son. She wasn't angry at him.

''It is sad,'' Naruto said. ''There are so many things that have occurred around you. Life defining, yet you've never had a choice in anything. You've always had to take in everything and just accept them. Try to make the most in the situation.''

Mikoto chuckled, in a mixture of bitterness and sadness. ''You make it sound like I am this weak person, who just accepts everything that comes to life.''

Naruto smiled with a shake of his head, ''In your case, it is not about strength or weakness. We always like to believe that there is a choice in everything, but the truth is that, this world isn't pretty. Freedom allows for free choices. Without it, we're only forced to adapt to the things life presents before us. But of course, we always try to change everything. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don't,'' Naruto paused for a moment to allow the words to sink in. ''It may sound bad saying this, but you've got your freedom now.''

Mikoto waved Naruto off, "I know you mean well," she said. Leaning back to the sofa, she released a resigned sigh before looking fondly at Naruto. "You've surprised me," she said.

"I guess I did," Naruto said.

"I don't know when I last had a conversation such as this. I may have been back when I was still a shinobi," Mikoto said. "When I got married, had children, I was never afforded the opportunity."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at Mikoto's words. "Not even with Itachi?"

"Not even with Itachi. Itachi spent more time with his father when he was younger. After the academy, it was his duty to Konoha and then Anbu," Mikoto said. "I just tried to be a mother to my children."

"Now you have responsibilities not to Sasuke only, but to the clan as well. And you have me to talk to about these kind of things," Naruto said, managing a small smile.

 **End of chapter**

 **What can I say? Your response to chapter 3 was wonderful. Thank you for that.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Standing just behind the backdoor of his house at the Senju compound, Naruto tilted his head to the side. He often did that when trying to figure out what was in front of him, or a puzzling thought that was playing a game of shogi with his mind. Before him stood Jiraiya. The appearance of the man wasn't surprising – it shouldn't be surprising – but Naruto tried to figure out what he wanted. He was not 'needed' or 'wanted' at this time. His time would come when they would need to leave the village for some peaceful time.

Naruto didn't really have anything against the Sannin. The leaving him thing didn't matter to him. He didn't resent the man for it. He just saw Jiraiya as just another Konoha shinobi and the man who trained his father. He may have been made his godfather, but he forfeited that responsibility when he ran off to drown his sorrows with women from all over the Elemental Nations. He suffered with his mother while the man embraced his perverseness in its fullest, and did so shamelessly.

Yet even so, Naruto held no grudge. If they were related by blood, then he would see the Sannin as nothing more than trash. Just like the bloody villagers crawling around the streets, parading their sick chants of murder to the demon and violating the positive energy that Hashirama had breathed into this god forsaken village. But Jiraiya was not related to him by blood. He failed his father. He never counted on the man for anything.

Jiraiya owed him nothing and Naruto wasn't going to put on a smile just to make the man feel better. He wasn't going to comfort the man just to make things easy for him. The man did what he did, and Naruto wasn't interested in apologies.

''What do you want, Jiraiya?'' Naruto finally asked as polite as he could.

Jiraiya shifted uncomfortably under the unblinking stare of the blond. The stare was just piercing. It threatened to crack his mask. Jiraiya held it with both his heart and mind, biting his tongue just so he couldn't crumble down like a rookie. He was a grown man. He was old enough to be Naruto's grandfather. Why did have to shake under the blonde's stare? Get hold of yourself, Jiraiya! The Toad Sage raged within.

It really felt he was being interrogated whenever he stood in front of the blond. Those blue eyes always had questions, and the tilting of the head further strengthened the impression. At least there was no hatred in those eyes. No, Naruto didn't hate him. Jiraiya was certain of it. The thing was Naruto just didn't give a damn about him. He only came into the mind of Naruto when he needed to be used.

It sickened the Sannin that someone so young could have such a thought. Of course Jiraiya was just assuming this. It could all be just his imagination. Nevertheless, there was a high possibility that he might right.

Jiraiya swallowed his thoughts. Naruto had blinked. The Sannin assumed it at as a signal that the blond was no longer interested in figuring him out. It could also mean he'd lost patience in waiting for him to respond to simple question - In Naruto standing point at least. To Jiraiya, there was no easy question and answer when he was dealing with a kid.

Jiraiya closed his eyes for moment. He didn't take too long because he was afraid by the time he opened them, he would be staring at Naruto's back. He felt relieved when Naruto was still there, still staring at him.

''I came to check up on you.'' Jiraiya said, his tone was quiet and a bit innocent.

''I'm fine, as you can see for yourself,'' Naruto said. He did it on purpose. He disliked the man for his round-about games. The man never wanted to come straight at him. He liked coming from behind. Naruto didn't want anyone coming in from behind. That was where back stabbers stab you. He was always cautious with his back and he would force Jiraiya to the front. Either by being rude or silent.

He didn't care too much to mind about the man's emotions.

''Is there anything else?''

Jiraiya winced. The tone wasn't sharp or dismissive: it was mildly polite, but the words were like a sharp knife through his crippled and burdened heart. The Toad Sage smiled sadly, with a hint of bitterness in his tongue, ''You're not going to make things easy for me, are you?''

''What do you think, Jiraiya?'' Naruto asked rhetorically. ''You're a grown man. I can't spell things for you. Its either you talk or you stop with this indecision. Its not fun for either of us.''

Jiraiya could agree with the last part. He steeled his resolve and opened his mouth as the words finally came out with some seriousness. ''What do you think of me, Naruto?''

Naruto tilted his head to the side once more; his stare grew intense. ''21 questions..?'' He shook his head. ''I think you know the answer to that question, Jiraiya. If you want me to spell it out for you, I see you in the same light as my mother does, with zero attachment.''

Once more, Jiraiya winced. He would need a bottle of sake from Mount Myoboku after this brutal conversation. ''I see,'' he said. ''I had a really good relationship with your father. He was a like a son to me,'' Jiraiya smiled as a few memories surfaced within his clouded his mind.

Naruto sighed. ''My mother would kill me if I turned away now,'' he mumbled before he sat down, legs folded in such a way that he was able to rest his elbow, with his hand holding the side of his face. ''I'm aware of how your relationship was like with my father. There is no need to retell the story.''

He didn't have the stomach for it anyway.

''I want to have that relationship with you as well. I owe it to Minato.''

''It can't happen. I'm not my father. The only relationship I see happening, and I am willing to tolerate is of that of a student and teacher, but nothing past that,'' Naruto said honestly. ''You asked me what I thought of you. This is my response: I see you as a strong and experienced shinobi. You're wise and knowledgeable about this world more than most people. Even I am willing to admit that there are plenty of things I can learn from you.''

Naruto wasn't stupid to say Jiraiya had no uses. Hell, if he pushed the right buttons, the man could build upon everything he has been taught by the Sandaime up until now. The couple of years he would spend with the Sannin would do him some good.

''You're not giving it much of a thought...'' Jiraiya said, disappointed clearly evident, but he was still happy that Naruto needed him. If he could train the boy, then it would be something. He could smile, a little.

''There isn't much to think about,'' Naruto said with a shrug. seeing that the Sannin was going to be a bother, and he no longer wished to continue with conversation, Naruto spoke once more. ''On the bright of things, there is a possibility that you can change my mind. I will be spending a couple of years with just you and my mother. Just think of the possibilities.''

It was unlikely, but Naruto was willing to say anything at this point, especially if it would motivate the Sannin to take him seriously in training.

Jiraiya thought of the possibilities, and he liked them. So much that he was willing to grin. Naruto didn't share his happiness. His expression remained the same. But Jiraiya wasn't deterred by it. He was happy, and he wasn't going to allow anything to take his happiness away. This was the farthest he has ever gone with Naruto and this was a good positive.

''Thank you,'' Jiraiya said, but Naruto merely shrugged. ''Naruto, do you think you will ever forgive the villagers for everything?''

This was an important question and it was Jiraiya's time to turn his gaze intense. He was a bit unnerved when Naruto matched his intensity. The blond didn't back down from the staring contest. Jiraiya was even puzzled when the blond smiled.

''Already thinking about the future of Konoha, are we? You people annoy me at times. These people tried to kill me when I just a few hours old, and they have loathed my existence ever since. I can't smile because of them. And yet after everything I've been made to experience, you wish for me to sulk up to them because they will eventually change and realize that I am just a person like them. Why can't you just forget about them for a moment?''

Jiraiya realized: that smiled hadn't been a happy a smile. ''Its not like that, Naruto. I care for you and your wellbeing. It is just that-''

''I think I have given you enough time to express yourself, Jiraiya,'' Naruto said standing up. ''Just to be clear: These people you protect are trash, and I will never, ever give my breath away for their skins. I will become the Kyuubi's slave before I die for them like Minato.''

That said, Naruto turned away from the Sannin. As he turned, Ino was standing there, her expression just flat. She was hiding the fact that she had been eavesdropping. Jiraiya must have known. Probably did nothing because he knew she was 'connected' to him.

''What are you doing here, Ino?'' His tone was a little harsh. It was possible that he was ticked off. A little.

''Sorry for being a good friend,'' Ino said, a bit loudly. She ignored his sharp tone. She knew he was going through stuff. ''You're leaving me today. So I thought I'd come and take you out before you leave. Is that a problem?''

''Leaving you?'' Naruto asked with raised eye brow.

Ino's cheeks flustered a bit. ''Well yeah!'' She all but shouted. ''Come on,'' she pulled Naruto by his right hand, dragging him away.

Watching this, Jiraiya smiled. That was a positive.

However, he had screwed up things with that last question. Why did have to go that far? Hell, ever since that day, the Sandaime Hokage hasn't even asked Naruto a question like that. He was more focused on Naruto himself. How could he be so stupid?

Konoha was the last thing in Naruto's mind… that is if he thought of the village ever at all.

Naruto's words did leave an impression. It wasn't something new. His sensei had said something of that sort. He'd found it hard to believe, but now there was no doubt. Sarutobi wasn't thinking about Konoha when he decided for Naruto to leave the village, he was thinking about Naruto's well-being and his mother's as well.

Shouldn't he do the same? Even for a moment…

 **Ramen Stand**

When Ino said she wanted to get out and eat something, she didn't really mean ramen. She wanted something from a restaurant, something delicious, something expensive. She wanted to eat something other than those noodles. The damn ramen was forced on her. It wasn't that she didn't like it. She has grown to enjoy it But when 'out' she preferred something else. Her problem was that she was with Naruto. She couldn't take him somewhere else, not with the glaring eyes of the villagers looking at him with murderous intent.

Even before the Uchiha incident, things wouldn't have been different. They'd probably spit on their food. Naruto didn't care about those eyes. Hell, he could ignore them as if they were not there. Ino couldn't: She hated those eyes, and they didn't make her feel any batter. But that was the reality of things. As Naruto has learned to live with it, she had to live with it as well.

''Neh, Naruto...'' Ino started, slowly, looking at Naruto – who was sitting on her right side - at the corner of her eyes.

''Hmm?''

''Did you actually mean what you said to Jiraiya-sama?'' She'd heard him say those things. She frowned upon that thought, but couldn't fault him. He has endured enough.

''Yes,'' Naruto said with a nod. ''But that should have been obvious to you, right?''

Ino nodded. ''It is just hard hearing those words. I know you don't care about them, but I never thought you'd say something like that. It worries me, especially with what just happened.''

''You mean especially after my so-called mental breakdown?'' Naruto asked his eyes stayed on his ramen, never looking at Ino, not even for a second.

''Yeah,'' Ino responded without even giving it a thought. ''I still can't believe you'd be blamed for the Uchiha thing. Its sad, yeah, but you can't be blamed for it.''

''My relationship with Itachi wasn't hidden to anyone. Hell, I got well with Fugaku. They were bound to say things about me after Itachi went mad. Its not to say I understand their reactions. I don't understand and never will,'' Naruto explained, his tone bit a nonchalant.

''You're okay: that is the important thing,'' Ino said with a smile. ''At least you are going to go away from the village. You'll get some much needed peace away from the villagers, hateful stares. Everything that is unpleasant.''

''Hopefully...'' Naruto said.

''Have some faith, will you?'' Ino said forcefully. ''How are long are you going to be gone for? In your stay at Sunagakure, I mean.''

It would depend on a couple of things, but he wasn't to stay for that long in the village Hidden in Sand. A couple of days would do. It was probably that they wanted to give it a chance for him to get to know Temari a bit more. They were contracted to get married after all. Aside from that, the stay in Suna served no purpose.

''A week at most,'' Naruto said. ''We probably won't return to Konoha.''

''What?''

''We might not return to the village after we leave for Sunagakure. Jiraiya will probably pick us up from Suna and we'll go our merry way for a couple of years.''

He could start dreaming already. The kind of life he would be living away from Konoha was just damn attracting. Naruto thought so, and every inch of his body believed so. All possibilities pointed at the good life, finally walking around without a mad eye piercing through his back. It was warming to think about it. While he has grown to ignore the stares, walking around without them was another matter altogether.

''And you didn't bother to tell me this sooner, because?!'' How could he do that to her? She thought he was only going away to Suna for a week or a couple of weeks then return to the village, but he was actually going away 'forever?' ''You do know that you leave the village later on today, right?''

Naruto turned around to give the girl a blank stare. She stared back. He sighed. ''I didn't think it would be a big matter. Its not like we hang out every day, anyway.''

''Is that how little you think of our friendship?'' Ino said. She didn't shout, her tone was quiet, with a bit of sadness colouring it.

Naruto blinked. That was not the sort of response he was expecting. It seemed as if he'd said something wrong. He sighed once more again, but said nothing. He figured there was something Ino wanted to add on what she'd said.

''I thought our relationship was good. I mean, I'm going to miss you when you leave. Who is going to protect me when you're gone? Who's going to be my black knight when you're away?''

Naruto hadn't considered that. Hell, if he were to be honest, he had to say he never even thought about missing Ino. Sure they got along, but he didn't think he would actually miss her. What more would he require if he was with his mother?

Knowing that Ino would most likely snap at him if he didn't give a sufficient answer, Naruto chose his words carefully. ''It is not as if I don't value your friendship, Ino. Really. I've just been too busy dreaming about the days that await me outside the village to think about anything else really. I do believe that I will indeed miss you.''

''Liar,'' Ino responded quietly, earning a raised brow from Naruto. ''I know you, Uzumaki Naruto. I know that you won't think about me. Your mother is all you need and with her by your side, no other thought will come to you.''

Naruto stared at Ino for a few moments with his head tilted to the side. She was still smiling. She had smiled when she called him a liar. ''You think I'm just telling you what you want to hear?''

''Well, duh?''

Naruto looked back at another fresh bowl that'd come his way. He didn't respond immediately. A few thoughts ran through his head before he spoke. ''When I'm away, who's going to annoy me by blackmailing me to do something? Who is going to annoy me requesting to be saved? I won't amuse myself by watching you chase after Sasuke.''

Ino didn't lose her smile, ''so, I guess you will miss me," she said, a bit happily.

 **Later that Day**

With the sun setting, Naruto's time to leave the village had arrived and he did so along with his mother, Kakashi and an Anbu. It was supposed to be just the four of them heading towards Sunagakure. Naruto understood that the Anbu would be hiding in the shadows, looking for threats, amongst other things. The Sandaime Hokage decided to tag along, plus his company of Anbu.

As they walked through the village in peace, both mother and son carrying sizeable scrolls on their backs. The scrolls contained everything they would need. What was the use of carrying bags when you could carry a simple scroll? It was the advantage of knowing Fuinjutsu. At this stage, Naruto could utilize the art of sealing. He wasn't all good at it like as Minato was, but he understood it.

The villagers watched him inventively. It was obvious from the looks that they felt happy, relieved even. It was such an amusing sight. With the way they looked, silent and making way for him, it was almost like they had rolled up a red carpet for them to walk through while they watched. They knew the truth. They knew they were leaving the village. It wasn't a secret that they were leaving. Even if it had been done in a secret, within an hour, those people would realize that Naruto and his mother were not within the walls of the village.

''Mother, you don't have to get worked up by this,'' Naruto said. He knew she was thinking about the likely scenario that would play out once they have left the village. ''We are leaving. They can enjoy it while it lasts. I hope that they treasure it because unless a miracle happens, that is all they are going to get from us.''

''There is no need to be gloomy, Naruto,'' Kakashi said.

The Sandaime shook his head. It pained him to think that Naruto was 'excited' about leaving. If the blond so chose, he would rather not return to the village. The Sandaime Hokage knew this. Without a single shed of doubt. If granted the choice, Naruto wouldn't return to Konoha. He would live somewhere else. Perhaps in Sunagakure for protection.

''I'm not gloomy. Just facing reality,'' Naruto said with a shrug. ''Besides, can't you tell I'm actually happy?''

Kakashi blinked: the blond looked his usual self. There wasn't a sign on his expression that said he was happy. He looked just impassive, but the frown on the Sandaime's face said it all. He was indeed happy. The Jonin shook his head. How so like Naruto to be happy and yet look the opposite.

''Is it necessary for you to tag along, old man?'' Naruto asked, looking at the Sandaime at the corner of his eyes.

''Why not? Are you that tired of me that you'd want to get rid of me quickly? I thought seeing you out was the least I can do. You're not going to return here, after Suna, are you?''

Naruto nodded. ''If I'm given the option, then I won't return. Not before a couple of years.''

''I thought as much,'' the Sandaime said with a sigh. As they reached the gates, the Third Hokage smiled sadly at Naruto. ''I will miss you, my boy. Keep in touch,'' he looked at Kushina. ''Take care...''

Naruto looked back at the Sandaime, a small sad smiled plastered across his face. ''I'm going to miss you, Sandaime-sama,'' he said polite fully before turning around, leaving him standing still.

The Sandaime watched the boy leave along with his mother. Naruto had showed him emotion. It wasn't much but it was something that showed him that the boy was still inside there and that there was really a chance for him to be happy. The Sandaime wished for nothing more than Naruto's happiness. He wanted the boy to have a chance at a normal childhood and this presented that chance. He allowed this to happen. Allowing Naruto be free was the least he could do.

The clan heads may not agree with his plan, they may be against the idea; they may think that Naruto will forsake the village, but the Sandaime had made his decision. This was a good one. If he had allowed for Naruto stay in this hostile environment, he would have been left with only regrets. There was so much more than one could take, and he feared that Naruto was close to his limit.

There was a point of no return and given that episode, Naruto was close to that point. Had he crossed that line; another disaster may have fallen on this village. The Sandaime had no doubt that Naruto would willingly allow the Kyuubi to roam free within the village, destroying everything. If it meant his and his mother's happiness, Naruto was willing to do anything.

For these reasons, the Sandaime was happy to have finally made the right choice.

Jiraiya flashed to the side of his former Sensei, and spoke, ''You're going to see him again, you know...'' the Sannin said softly. He could clearly see that the Sandaime was saddened by the fact that he wouldn't be able to see Naruto on a daily basis.

''I know,'' The Sandaime said, turning around to return to his office. ''I've just grown fond of him. I did enjoy the time I spent training him. Conversations with him where never boring.''

''I can imagine that,'' Jiraiya said. ''You think it is safe to just send Kakashi and Yugao?''

''Of course not,'' the Sandaime said. ''Danzo would seize the chance to kidnap Naruto if that chance came. Kushina may be dangerous when angry, but she would do anything if her son was captured and Naruto would do anything it was his mother who was captured instead of him.''

''It would be a disaster,'' Jiraiya said with a shake of his head.

''Yes,'' Hiruzen said with a nod. ''Wherever Naruto turns, Danzo would regret the day he crossed Naruto's path. When it comes to his mother, Naruto forgives no one. This is one of the reasons he isn't fond of Minato.''

''Kushina was hurt by Minato's death,'' Jiraiya said. Going back to the main dish. ''Are you going to send another squad of Anbu to tail them?''

''Yes. The Kazekage has also agreed to send his own Anbu to escort them.''

Sarutobi had no doubt that the Kazekage would send his best to insure that Naruto was safe, and he was sure that the blond would be treated well in Sunagakure. Naruto was a key, to Suna's future. The man understood Naruto's importance in Konohagakure and the power he would wield. He was going to take advantage of this to safeguard Suna's future. Take care of Naruto and when the blond is all grown up and powerful, he will remember his goodness.

''He has been rather cooperative in all these, huh?'' Jiraiya said. ''I guess this benefits him best in the long run. If Naruto and Temari get along, we are looking at a strong bond between Suna and Konoha.''

''It isn't that only,'' The Sandaime. ''If Naruto decides to leave Konoha, he will go to Sunagakure. His village will have gained a powerful ally. Of course there will be enemies as well, but between Naruto and Gaara, everything is accounted for.''

''Either way, he will benefit from this,'' Jiraiya said. ''I didn't think he was this smart.''

''For which they love, people think deeper and will pull convincing act to safeguard what they hold dear,'' The Sandaime explained. ''Rasa thought deep about Suna's future and made a choice. He wasn't sneaky about it as well. He told me straight to the face.''

''Probably knew you would figure things out,'' Jiraiya said. ''I'm going to get a few things ready before I leave as well. I don't want to leave Danzo with a clean chance to take action.''

The Sandaime nodded.

 **Fire Country Borders**

It was in the middle of the night, and the group had camped at the borders on the suggestion of the Suna Anbu. It was dangerous to travel in the desert during the night, they said, and they'd walked all evening, not taking any rest. It was a surprise to the Anbu that Naruto had been able to keep up without so much as complaining about tiredness. When asked, he simply said he could go on and would shrug off any worries pooled towards him. They were unwarranted he said.

Naturally, Kushina knew that even if he was tired, he wouldn't say unless she said something. Her dear son was willing to endure pain just so she was worry free. It was a beautiful thing that he cared so much for her, but at the same time, Kushina felt saddened. Naruto was still too young to be thinking of her in such a way. It was no use worrying about it now anyway. She knew that part of Naruto wasn't going to be easy to remove.

The group was sitting around a fire, meals for the night already discarded. Yugao was sitting with them as well, her mask already discarded along with her Anbu gear. Since there two squads of Anbu with them, Kakashi said it was okay for her to act as just a Jonin, instead of an Anbu.

''If you keep this up, you're really going to be a stamina freak,'' Yugao said to Naruto. He had walked all the way without looking tired. She knew he was indeed tired, but he'd hid it well and forced his body to walk with remarkable success.

''That wouldn't be a bad thing,'' Naruto said, looking thoughtful for a second. ''A high level of stamina ensures that you last long in a fight. It's really safe to say that a high level of stamina makes it possible for one to fight even stronger opponents.''

''How do you come to that conclusion?'' Kakashi asked. He knew the answer, but just wanted to hear that sort of response Naruto would come with.

Naruto looked at Kakashi with a raised eyebrow and there was look that clearly stated what Naruto thought of the question, but he answered nevertheless. ''A high level of stamina increases the level of endurance. In a fight it isn't always the stronger who wins: a lot of factors determine the outcome of a fight. Stamina can be one of those.''

''You really do listen when the Sandaime teaches you, huh?'' Kakashi said. But then again, it should be expected. Naruto really did take training seriously.

''What would be the point of getting the Sandaime to teach me, if I didn't listen?'' Naruto asked rhetorically. ''What is the life of Anbu like, Yugao?''

He was curious about that life. Naruto had read a lot when Kakashi became Anbu from his mother. The Jonin had turned into a complete robot, a lot more like Anbu from The Foundation. Those were trained to be killers, show no emotion. Danzo believed that emotions were a hinder crane and unnecessary. Naruto thought wrong, but who was he to argue with the war hawk? In any case, he wanted to know if everyone does turn out like Kakashi when they join the Anbu.

''Hectic,'' Yugao said. ''At times like this, it is when resting. I do get the time to rest when there aren't many problems facing the village. Of course that stuff about we being emotionless are wrong. We just don't let our emotions cloud our judgment. Outside of Anbu, we all have lives. You spent time with Itachi, you should know this.''

''Itachi is a different matter. He doesn't quite fit the equation,'' Naruto said with indifference in the subject of the Uchiha. ''So you were the mad one when you turned Anbu...''

Kakashi shrugged. ''I was on a bad spell of my life,'' he said.

His sensei had just died. He had no one left. He had been left alone. Obito, Rin, Minato, they had all left him and he could have done something to save either Rin or Obito. That was a part of his life that had been very dark and gloomy. Kakashi never wanted to go through again. No ever. Well, at least now he does recognize that he has friends, somewhat of a family in Kushina and Naruto.

''So the attitude depends on the mindset of a person,'' Naruto said. ''But that attitude of yours is what made you very successful as an Anbu. I presume too much kindness isn't suited for the job.''

Kushina butt in before anyone could respond to the question. ''Are you thinking of joining Anbu Naruto?''

She could understand why he would want to join the Anbu. Yes, it made things much more clear. Being in the Anbu would keep him away from the streets of the village and away from the haters. Naruto wanted to avoid them at all costs. She assumed that as he grew up, it wouldn't be easy to hold back from smacking one for saying something stupid.

Naruto shrugged. ''Itachi once asked me to join Anbu and I'd refused...'' he said.

''Your mother was the reason, no doubt,'' Kakashi said.

Kushina nodded. ''I forgot we once had this conversation. What is the change of heart,'' the red haired shook her head. It was s stupid question.

''I'm not changing my mind. I'm just curious,'' Naruto answered anyway.

''Well enough with the serious talk,'' Kushina said strongly. ''can't you guys ask him something a bit more happy?'' she asked looking at both Yugao and Kakashi.

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a few moments. He'd never had any casual conversation with Naruto. The blond didn't entertain useless talk with adults. ''How are you dealing with the Itachi issue anyway?''

''You really close to him...'' Yugao added.

Naruto shrugged indifferently. ''There is really nothing to deal with,'' he said.

Kakashi sighed, but knew when not to push. ''Shouldn't we have brought Sasuke? It would have been good for him to be away from the village as well...''

''Its not safe for Sasuke to leave the village with what just happened, and besides, his mother needs him. Mikoto-chan has no one left. They both need each other, and if there is someone who can get Sasuke to behave accordingly, it has to be his mother,'' Kushina said, earning nods of understanding from both Yugao and Kakashi.

Naruto stifled out a yawn. ''I'm going to sleep,'' he was really worn out. He'd never done so much physical 'workout' as he did today.

''We should rest as well. We have to wake up early in the morning so that we can reach Sunagakure by noon,'' Kakashi suggested.

 **Sunagakure**

Who could have thought that Danzo would be willing to do something so predictable and stupid? Neither Kakashi nor Yugao had expected of such an extreme measure from the war hawk. Kakashi assumed to Danzo, allowing Naruto to roam free within the Elemental nations was allowing a powerful weapon to remove its strings from Konoha. The man possibly feared that Naruto would love Sunagakure more than Konoha. If it was a question of love, the man should really know that Naruto has no love for Konoha. In fact, the only reason he was still a Konoha person was because of his mother and his own safety.

Perhaps that was the point. Danzo beat the children from The Foundation to submission and made them swear loyalty to him. Kakashi had never heard of anyone from the Foundation ever betraying the War Hawk. He perhaps thought he could beat loyalty to HIM not Konoha into Naruto by taking him away by force. Kakashi doubted it would be a success even if the man did succeed in taking Naruto. The only person Naruto was loyal to was his mother, nothing more nothing less. He did hope that over time, things would change. It was bound to change, Kakashi told himself.

It had happened just after they'd turned in for the night after a long day. Kakashi's shinobi instincts had woken him up from his sleep when they'd sensed something. By that time, Yugao was already up, guarding them in case something happened. There were clashes of battle around their area of rest. The two Squads of Anbu had engaged the Ne shinobi, dressed in Iwa Jonin vests. Kakashi could never mistake those from Foundation. He had at times worked with the man during his dark days.

It was a pity that the agents killed themselves to avoid interrogation. It was Danzo's greatest tactic. He never liked his secrets known to anyone. Regardless, the corpses were useless because they couldn't get into their minds because the damned seal that destroyed the mind.

Even if Danzo was confronted with the bodies, he would simply deny them, saying he doesn't know them. A fool would think that somehow Iwa had discovered Naruto's secret and were after him for payback for what Minato did during the Shinobi war. But to the minds of a real shinobi, such a reason, despite how logical it sounded was not the real issue.

Danzo was.

What had Danzo been thinking? The Sandaime had said something of this happening was of high probability and he had been right. Danzo had ordered for the capture of Naruto. It was a wise move on the Sandaime's side to have two squads of Anbu to protect Naruto and his mother. With him and Yugao on the line, one would think it was enough. But they'd been merely put as bait.

No matter how powerful he was, Kakashi hadn't been brought along to fight. He was just here for show and for the company, nothing more. The fighting would be a last resolution if the Anbu failed. That in itself had a high probability of bot happening, considering that there were two squads of Anbu.

Naturally, Kushina had been downright pissed at this little incident. Oh mother superior was furious that someone would attempt to take away her son from her. Minato had been taken away by the Shinigami, and now Naruto? No way in hell. She had threatened to tear the bastard into pieces with her chains when she returns to Konoha.

Kakashi knew. Kushina would ultimately do nothing about it. The dead corpses wouldn't formally be enough evidence to put Danzo on the scene. Knowing the Sandaime, he would just give the war hawk and stern warning.

That was what he has been doing over the past years when Danzo did something stupid. The Sandaime never had the guts to execute the war hawk for treason. Kakashi would have done it long ago. There was compelling evidence to support the death chair.

Kakashi had seen Naruto's twisted look when his mother had been pacing around in fury, he had seen the narrowed look when it became known to him that someone was trying to kidnap him. By that only, Kakashi knew Danzo had made an enemy in Naruto, and the blond would do something. It may not be next week or next year, but the day would come, and Danzo would pay. Kakashi was certain. He knew how Naruto thought when it came to his mother.

Some actions against his mother were seen as blasphemy and that couldn't be forgiven. Naruto could forgive someone from making him feel pain but he would never forgive anyone for stabbing his mother in the back. Double trouble to both mother and son was only punishable by death. If the Sandaime doesn't get Danzo, Naruto would.

Aside from calming down his mother, Naruto had been quiet along the way. his mind was possibly busy formulating plans to make Danzo pay.

Kakashi shook his head. What would Minato do in this situation? He would try to get the blond out those thoughts or would he leave him to his devices? Minato wasn't here… the question was: what should he do?

''The Sandaime Hokage will be very angry when he reads the report,'' Yugao said, and then shook her head. ''No, by this time, he's already read it and I bet Danzo was summoned to the office some time ago.''

Kushina nodded with a frown, ''but he is just going to slap him on the cheek,'' she said disappointedly. ''He's been letting Danzo off the hook for many times.''

It pissed her off that she could let him do as he pleases. The Sandaime had to stand up and show the old fool who the Hokage was. He couldn't allow him to keep this up. A line had been crossed and Kushina wasn't going to forget it. Not until Danzo accounted for his actions.

Naruto was her dear son. Who tries to separate mother and son? What infuriated her more was that she knew exactly Danzo did to his puppets. It sickened her to think he would think of doing that to her son. He didn't see her beloved, he saw a weapon that needed to be trained to use its power for the good of Konoha.

Yugao shook her head. ''I doubt that,'' she said.

Kakashi raised an eye brow, looking at Yugao with a question, ''you think he'll do something much more than that?''

''He may not do something more than that. Possibly because he does understand Danzo's value. However, he may be willing to forgive Danzo for trying to have him killed by you, but I don't think he will forgive Danzo for this,'' Yugao said before explaining. ''I have seen him with Naruto in many occasions. I have seen how much he cares. I have never seen him shower anyone with as much affection as he does with Naruto. Trying to touch Naruto will not be forgiven.''

Yugao looked at Naruto for a moment, ''I think the feeling is mutual. He just won't show it,'' she said of Naruto.

Yugao has seen how the two interacted outside of training. She's never seen the Sandaime act so concerned and kindly to any of his family members than he does with Naruto. The relationship between the pair was special. It couldn't be broken.

On the amusing side of it, both knew how to manipulate the other into doing something. Yugao really found it amusing, especially so when they each knew what was going on, and yet permit it. If there was someone Naruto could cry for aside from his mother, it was the Sandaime.

Kakashi nodded. ''It is,'' he said. ''I'm a little jealous of their relationship myself,'' he added.

''You wouldn't have to be if you tried harder,'' Kushina interjected.

Kakashi gave his usual response: a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. ''I doubt it would have made a difference,'' he said, eyeing Naruto briefly before looking at the gates ahead.

''You don't know about that,'' Kushina said. She herself eyed her son for a moment. She nodded in agreement with her words.

Kakashi didn't about that. You never knew unless you tried. Naruto's relationship with Itachi was proof of it. Naruto had been willing to talk to Itachi about anything. They had been close as brothers. Although the bond between Itachi and Sasuke could never be replaced, Naruto was in there. He was friendly with the Sandaime as well. If you really wanted to get close, you could. It was not an impossible task. It just needed someone who was willing to understand and be patient.

''Perhaps,'' Kakashi said. ''Looks like the Kazekage himself is here to welcome us himself,'' the Jonin said, looking at the group at the gate.

''They aren't there to welcome you,'' Yugao corrected. ''They are there to welcome the rejected prince of Konoha. With the right education and motivation, Naruto could grow up to be a political powerhouse.''

Kakashi sighed, ''and I was trying to make myself feel important,'' he said. ''Way to ruin the mood, Yugao.''

Yugao shrugged, ''I'm just stating the truth.''

Silence reigned as they finally reached the gates of the village hidden in sand. The Kazekage was surrounded by two of his children, another man, and the two gate guards.

Rasa formed a small smile on his lips seeing his guests arrive in one piece and looking good. What he had to do for the sake of Suna... This had to be done. There was value in treating these people with care. He couldn't deny this. The future excited him. He couldn't wait to see the look on his people when they realize that he had once housed the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash in his house, and that the boy was contracted to marry his daughter.

The idea was pleasing to his thoughts. Intoxicating even. For a moment of madness, Rasa had even entertained the idea of purposefully letting slip of the truth to the people. Something of that sort would spark a great debate. Konoha would be forced to come out of its shadows and he would be right behind Naruto and his mother.

The Yondaime Kazekage kept his smile as his eyes went towards the blond youngster. He had a book on his right hand, that blank expression on his face. Rasa looked at the book carefully, Fuinjutsu he realized. According to Kushina, Naruto was deep into understanding the theory of Fuinjutsu. Naturally, this pleased Rasa. He'd thought of asking Kushina to teach one of his underlings Fuinjutsu as well.

Sunagakure had a great shortage in Fuinjutsu users. Hell, he couldn't say he had any more seal masters. Those old people had left the village, and those remaining were good, but not good enough. The Kazekage was looking for Uzumaki level good. Then he would be pleased. Nothing short of that level had little value.

Perhaps Kushina could even fix the seal on Gaara? Maybe. Yes, she could. Naruto held the Kyuubi inside of him and it was soundly asleep within him. Its powers could be accessed in due time. He had no doubt about that. Gaara was a failure in his current form. He had no value. But if Kushina changed his seal, she could put some value in him. He could be trained well without Shukaku whispering maddening thoughts into his head.

Rasa nodded to himself. He would take this opportunity and use it well. It was presented to him. It would be foolish for him not to take advantage of it. With that plan in mind, Rasa greeted the valuable people with a warm smile.

Although he wouldn't say it aloud, he'd grown to like the Uzumaki family. They were good people and valuable. He liked that about them.

''Hello, Kushina, Naruto. I'm glad you made it to Sunagakure okay,'' he said before turning to the secondary people. Yes, he could call the famed Sharingan no Kakashi secondary to Naruto. The Jonin may be powerful and famous, but to Sunagakure, he was of no benefit. His use would only be shaping Naruto into an excellent shinobi.

Rasa greeted the two guards with his guests before turning to see Naruto interact with his daughter. The blond had a smile. It was small, but a smile nonetheless. He could see that it was a real smile. From what he understood about the blond, he didn't paint fake smiles across his face. He was straight forward like that.

Rasa admired that trait. He admired Naruto in general. The blond had a keen mind… he was far smarter than any of his children. He was the kind of a child a Kage would need. With Naruto, there were so many possibilities. None he had with his children.

At least if Gaara's issues are fixed, more possibilities would become available. Yes, so many. When that does happen, he would shape his son into becoming a proper leader for Suna. Kankuro wasn't suited for that.

''Hello, Temari,'' Naruto said, smiling a little. How could he forget that his Mother had told him to smile to a girl, especially Temari. He had become used to this one. Even though he only did it a couple of times.

''Naruto,'' Temari said, smiling and with a small bow.

Naruto waved off Temari's formalities. ''No need for that,'' he said. ''I understand as the Kazekage daughter you're being taught discipline, right manners, proper etiquette and acting the part. But we're still kids, we can be excused for forgetting a few things. Besides, we are like family. If you want to be comfortable around me, you can keep your dignity but still throw away some bits of formality.''

Temari smiled. She doubted her father would allow for that. But she still allowed her mind to dream. ''Come on,'' she said. Naruto followed girl. Kakashi didn't waste time either. He followed after Naruto while Yugao stayed behind with Kushina.

Rasa looked on with a smile. ''They are getting along quite well,'' he said to Kushina, leading the Uzumaki towards his house.

Naturally that was gold. Naruto would end up marrying Temari. Gaara would befriend Naruto and one day, both boys would become Kages. Konoha and Sunagakure would become brothers. What Konoha has, Suna will have.

''Yes,'' Kushina said, smiling as well. ''Its refreshing to see. If we had little more time, I think they'd become friends in no time.''

Rasa nodded, ''Temari may be the older one, but she still has a few issues, and doesn't speak her mind. Naruto doesn't have a problem with that, though.''

''He takes after his mother,'' Kushina said happily.

''I hope he doesn't take everything from his mother,'' Rasa said smiling. Certainly, there were some characteristics about Kushina's personality that Rasa didn't wish for Naruto to have as well.

''What is that supposed to mean?''

Rasa waved off his hands, ''Nothing,'' he said. ''Family, huh?'' He said of what Naruto said to Temari.

''Technically we are family. Naruto is legally engaged to Temari-chan. So, that does make us family... Of some sort,'' Kushina said.

Rasa nodded, ''I guess it is so,'' he said. ''I'm sorry about what I hear in Konoha after the Uchiha incident. It is really unfortunate that you and your son get that kind of treatment.''

''Thank you,'' Kushina said. ''While it is unfortunate, it is something we must live with because we can't run away from it. Konoha became my home when I left my former village. It has been my home since and it is still my home. Regardless of everything.''

Rasa had nothing to say about that. He liked her loyalty though. He was right, these were good people who wouldn't betray their word. ''Nevertheless, I hope you feel comfortable here to think of it as your second home. Naruto did say we are family after all.''

with Naruto

''Naruto, I didn't know you knew how to speak to girls,'' Kakashi said to the blond. Overall, he was playing his cards right with Temari. The first step of making her comfortable had been executed perfectly, and now they were talking peacefully.

Naruto looked at the Jonin for a moment. ''What gave you that idea?''

Kakashi shrugged, ''your interactions with girls in Konoha?'' he offered.

''How does he interact with other girls,'' Temari asked, looking at Kakashi. She was curious. From what she had seen of the blond, she would be surprised if it was said he was all smiles and laughs with other people.

''If he isn't ignoring them, he's telling them their annoying,'' Kakashi said.

Temari smiled, ''that sounds exactly like him,'' she said. 'I must feel honoured that he doesn't do that with me, but actually tries not just to be civil but tries to actually make her comfortable,' Temari wanted to say, but swallowed those words.

''I think Ino-chan will be depressed if she finds out about this,'' Kakashi said, looking at Naruto. Really, he could be sometimes uncaring towards the Yamanaka girl.

''Ino-chan?''

''Just some girl. A friend actually,'' Naruto said before Kakashi could say anything. ''Where is your other brother?''

''Gaara?''

Naruto didn't respond. He merely gave her a look. Kankuro was here, so which other brother did she think he would be talking about?

Kakashi sighed looking at that. Well, Naruto will always be Naruto.

''I don't know. I haven't seen him since morning,'' Temari said. There was something in her tone that made Naruto looked at her curiously. She felt as if she was worried about him. He didn't comment though.

''I see,'' Naruto said, looking at the sky. ''When do you leave?'' Naruto asked Kakashi.

''Tomorrow morning. I'm going to take the rest of the day as my time off and enjoy what Suna has to offer.''

''You always have time off,'' Naruto said. Kakashi merely shrugged. Naruto said nothing of it. He turned to Temari. ''Did they plan anything for us for this day?'' He knew something would have been planned for them. Whenever he was here, his time was made exclusive to be consumed with Temari.

''Yes, a few things.''

''Have all plans cancelled,'' Naruto said. ''We can do something later on. Perhaps dinner. I just want to take a nap right now.''

Temari nodded. ''I will do so,'' she said, relieved. She could understand why he would need a nap though. He did come all the way from Konoha, and he didn't seem like the type who'd accept being carried.

 **T** **he Following Day**

Kushina walked towards to the kitchen within the Kazekage residence with a small smile on her face. She felt somewhat free as if there was a load that had been just lifted off her shoulders. She could still be happy in Konoha, but she'd never felt this light since Naruto became the Third Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Perhaps it was because she didn't have to worry about someone trying anything on her and her son while they weren't watching. Another matter was the fact that Naruto seemed to be getting along with Temari.

Her son was actually treating the girl well. His treatment of Temari was almost how he treated her. Kushina was pleased to see this. He would never do that with Ino. Perhaps it was because Ino knew him that way and wouldn't get angry because she accepted that part of him, and if acted all kind would probably freak her out because she wasn't used it.

She understood that Naruto was doing it for his own sanity. He had to believe that humans were not all bad. There was hope, even for his happiness.

It made her happy that he had listened to her advice and was making an effort. With how things were flowing, she wouldn't mind staying here for a whole month. It would give Naruto a chance to smile and get along with other children. He needed the positive atmosphere that was within the village.

Kushina settled down beside the small kitchen table, where Naruto was siting along with Temari. The two had just finished their lunch, well Naruto was already done. Temari was still eating.

''You've settled in rather well,'' Kushina said to Naruto, smiling a bit.

Naruto nodded. ''We have been coming here, so this is nothing new. Besides, the atmosphere isn't oppressive as it is in Konoha,'' the blond said to his mother. ''You look happy as well,'' he smiled at that.

All was well. If this was home, Naruto wouldn't have any problems. Perhaps his huge growth for his age wouldn't have been forced. Whether he liked to admit it or not, the circumstances in Konoha have really forced him to become what he has become.

In this village, he received hope for a better tomorrow. His faith in humanity continuously took a knock at Konoha. Here, it was revived.

But this led to the conclusion that Konoha's people were just complete trash. As humans, they were despicable; as demons, they played the role to perfection.

Kushina smiled, ''I'm just excited about travelling around the Elemental Nations. There are so many places I want to see and there is that...'' she didn't have to say it aloud in front of Temari, but Naruto would get it.

''I truly hope that we are able to find something,'' Naruto said. ''The Senju compound is a bit too big for just two people. Well, now we have vacated it, perhaps it will be different when we return.''

The thought of the revival of the Uzumaki clan really did give Naruto a sense of purpose. He would no longer focus on his mother only, but the clan as well. Naruto relished the responsibility. It would make his mother happy and it would fill up a few gaps within his heart.

Temari looked between mother and son. They seemed to get along just fine. To think that these two were the family of the Yondaime Hokage... It was a bit unbelievable. They didn't act like it. Still, Temari felt a pang in her heart seeing how two interacted. They were open with each other, and seemed to talk about everything.

She missed her mother. She wondered, how would things be like if her mother had been still alive? Would she smile and chat about different ideas like Naruto does with his mother?

''When we return to Konoha, we should stop by here and take Temari-chan with us. She still does have to visit us at our home...'' Kushina offered, but Naruto just shrugged. ''Naruto,'' Kushina threatened.

Naruto smiled, ''that is a lovely idea mother. She hasn't seen our new home, I think the tine will be the time for her to see it. Perhaps even enjoy her time calling you 'oka-san,'' the blond said.

''Did you just make a joke?'' Kushina asked with a raised brow. She'd never heard Naruto say something about sharing his mother. He didn't have a problem with that, so long as his time with his mother was not disturbed, but he never actually said something like that out loud.

''I believe he did,'' Temari said, finally speaking. ''What is this new home you're talking about?''

''We are living in the Senju compound. Due to technicalities, it has become our new home...'' Naruto said.

''Does that mean you related to the Senju?''

''Yes, it does,'' Naruto said, not making much of it. ''I thought you'd know this by now.''

Temari shook her head, ''I wasn't told,'' she said.

Naruto looked at the girl for a moment. His eyes stared into hers so intensively and curiously that Temari looked away to hide some embarrassment.

Kushina smiled, ''Naru-chan, you're making Temari-chan blush, don't stare at her like that,'' she said.

Naruto looked at his mother for a moment before nodding. ''I have lots of information stored inside my head. After you finish eating, I can fill you up on what you need to know.''

Temari nodded. She was going to take that deal.

No one was able to say anything further because at that moment, the Kazekage appeared. ''Wonderful to see that everyone is getting long,'' he said smiling before looking at Kushina. ''This is him. Can you take a look at it and see if you can fix it or just put in a new one?''

All eyes turned to the small red haired boy beside the Kazekage, holding a stuffed animal. Temari's younger brother, Naruto realized. He was a Jinchuriki like him, but he was apparently unstable. He didn't look all too unstable to him. Naruto looked at the boy with intense curiosity.

He was so curious that he stalked off his chair and walked over to his fellow Jinchuriki. This was the first time that he had actually come this close to the red haired. Another Jinchuriki like him. He didn't know back then, but now he knew and it was just fascinating looking at another human, housing a Bijuu.

Some parts of his heart had a strange feeling. The feeling was so foreign that Naruto couldn't grasp it. He did understand that it wasn't a bad feeling. Was he simply excited to see another Jinchuriki? Was it because he thought he found someone who had something in common with him like it was with Itachi?

So many questions, and the object in connection to the questions was standing in front of him. Yet, Naruto didn't say anything. Inwardly, he smiled.

While Naruto didn't notice it, others did note that his intense stare was making Gaara uncomfortable. Kushina intervened quickly, ''Naruto,'' she called walking over to the two. ''Don't stare at him like he is some sort of a puzzle.''

Naruto blinked as his mother kneeled beside him. Kushina smiled warmly at Gaara, ''Hello Gaara-chan. We haven't been introduced, but I am Kushina, Naruto's mother,'' she said holding out her hand.

Gaara stared at the hand for a full minute. He hesitantly brought out his own and took Kushina's hand. Surprisingly, it was soft and warm. She meant no harm, he realized. He wanted to smile, but he couldn't. He just nodded.

Kushina stood up, still holding Gaara's hand. She picked him up. Gaara was all too shocked to act or say anything. She held him up like she did with her son. She looked down at Naruto and smiled. ''I knew it. You were making a cold joke,'' she said looking at his expression.

Naruto merely shrugged.

''I will check the seal later. First thing first, I want to get to know him,'' Kushina said. Rasa nodded, he held no objections to that.

''I will prepare a proper place for it...''

Kushina shook her head, ''I can create a barrier myself,'' she said. ''Temari-chan, are you done?'' Temari nodded. ''Let's go outside. You're coming too along Naruto. If we look around, perhaps we'll find some ramen,'' she added smiling before putting Gaara down.

"Isnt this Naruto?"

"..?" Naruto looked at his mother with a questioning look.

"After we have fixed Gaara, you can have a friend and Temari can have her brother back," Kushina said. She was aware of how things worked at the Kazekage residence in relations to Gaara.

"What is wrong with him?" Naruto asked that. Not caring that Gaara could hear him.

"His seal. It isn't like yours. His Bijuu is kind of crazy. It fills his head with madness, so much that he can't even sleep. If he does sleep, there is a possibility that the Bijuu might awaken," Kushina explained.

"What a predicament," Naruto said, expressing no emotion. "Are you going to cut off the connection between Bijuu and host?"

"That will depend on the seal. I have to look at it first. But yes, The connection has to be cut and the seal has to be made in such a way that Gaara will be able to sleep peacefully."

"Can you really do it? Make him better, I mean?" Temari asked, hopefulness evident in her tone.

Kushina smiled, "Yes," she said firmly. "Here that, Gaara. I will make the voices go away and you will be loved once again…"

 **End of chapter. Eh, it has been long huh? Anyway, I have not forgotten this story.**

 **I have said that Naruto's character will develop as the story continues. So he won't always be as he is now.**

 **If my mind can compute the life in Suna into a full chapter, I will so for the next chapter. If not, there will be a time skip.**

 **Regardless, I have set up things in a way you can use your imagination to picture how the rest of the stay will be like. With regards to the trip with Jiraiya, I'd never planned on writing that. So it won't be shown.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Fuinjutsu was truly an interesting and puzzling art. It never ceases to amaze Naruto that it was the only art that could stuff a mountain size beast into something so tiny, yet still make room within the subconscious of that person for the beast to take full appearance and still communicate as if it was truly alive. Being sealed was really a prison of the worst. There was no hope of light, and you were never free to move about. All there was to do was just to lie about in your cell and continue plotting about methods of getting out, even though you knew it was impossible to simply break out.

Naruto placed his right hand on his gut. The Kyuubi was in there and its life was his life. To survive, it depended on him to continue on living. If he dies, it also dies. Temporarily though, but it was death nevertheless. Their fates were locked together until his body could no longer carry the Bijuu. Until then, the beast would be passed on to someone.

Naruto didn't think far ahead on that matter. His thoughts only stopped there.

He'd told Temari that they had to make do with the reality that had pressed upon their lives. He'd told her so because he believed it was the only way to make the best of out the situation. Ignoring it wasn't going to do. He couldn't continue ignoring that the Kyuubi was inside of him. It was there, and whether he liked it or not, they had to learn to live with the situation and get along for their own survival.

''Don't space out like that, Naruto,'' Kushina said, hitting Naruto on his right shoulder.

Naruto looked at his mother, thankful she didn't call him by any inappropriate name in front of the two Sand siblings: Gaara and Temari. The four were walking along the streets of Sunagakure, heading towards a good secluded place to have a nice talk and get to know each other. At least that is what his mother said.

''You don't have to hit so hard, mother,'' Naruto said, in a slight grumble. ''I was thinking important stuff anyway,'' he added.

''It doesn't matter,'' Kushina said strongly. ''You have lots of time to think about other matters. For now, it is just the four of us and we need to use time wisely, we don't have much time here, remember?''

Naruto sighed, and nodded. ''Yes mother,'' he said.

They certainly didn't have much time here in this village. They had to embark on their training trip soon enough. They were just passing by Sunagakure and after his mother fixes up Gaara's seal, they would only have a few days and then leave. The Third Hokage probably anticipated that the Yondaime Kazekage would ask something like this of his mother, probably why he had them come here in the first place.

They could have just left Konoha for their time away without making any stops. It wasn't like Konoha would change over night and Naruto knew the cunning old man was not naive enough to believe something like that would happen in his sleep.

Friendship had to be made and bonds had to be strengthened. At least that was the side story of things. It was for the better future, a happy tomorrow. That was what his mother wanted and Naruto was going to do his best, to make her happy and himself happy. A part of him did hope for a better tomorrow after all. So, he wasn't just doing this for his mother, but for his own sanity as well.

Everyone held some hope about the future. People hoped for the best, regardless of hopeless their situations were. His was not hopeless. There were ways to make the best of the situation, Uzumaki Naruto just didn't put much effort into it, yet he understood that if he doesn't, nothing would change.

If he grows up being a bitter child, who wears the Anbu mask in his sleep, would that make his mother happy? She would worry, perhaps even go back to those miserable nights.

Naruto would never forgive himself if he makes his mother experience such pain. He would curse his very existence until the day his body decides it can no longer contain his soul.

With that in mind, Naruto looked at his precious mother with a smile.

''What were you thinking about?'' Kushina asked, having seen the blond hold his stomach, where the seal that held the Kyuubi was located. It was unlike her son to think deep about his prisoner. He didn't talk much about the Bijuu.

''Bijuus and how incredible fuinjutsu is,'' Naruto said quietly. ''He is like that because of his Bijuu and the things that have happened to him, right?'' Naruto asked, looking at the redhead walking by his mother's right side, held by her hand.

That sight made him twitch, but he tried not to show it. Still, the recurring theme was there: he didn't like sharing his mother.

Kushina nodded. ''Shikaku has always been known for madness,'' she said. ''Given the kind of seal that was used, it is given that he will go mad. He hasn't lost it yet, but if nothing can be done about the seal he will go bad.''

''Can you help him?'' Temari asked, a hopeful look on her face.

Once again, Kushina nodded, but with a smile. ''Of course I can,'' she said strongly. ''We Uzumaki see this as no problem. As executing the Great Fire ball jutsu is only natural for the Uchiha, it is also natural for us to seal Bijuus and know more about seals.''

Ah, the Uzumaki pride. Naruto loved his mother when she spoke so proudly of their clan. Why hadn't she even go as far as to praise herself a bit more? She was amazing with the things she could do with Fuinjutsu, and people praised his damn father as a fuinjutsu genius.

All glory for the precious Yondaime Hokage and nothing for his mother.

Naruto didn't understand what the fuss was all about when it came to that man. Yes, sure she was smart. The fact that he understood the work of Uzumaki was proof of that. But was there anything original he did? The Hiraishin was the work of the Nidaime Hokage. As far as Naruto could tell, the man was only able to invent the Rasengan.

Naruto shook his head realizing he was going too far with his thoughts and would miss the conversation at hand.

Temari smiled, before speaking. ''Our father hasn't been really kind to him since he failed to meet his expectations,'' she said with a sad smile. ''I feel bad being unable to do anything.''

Kushina smiled warmly, ah, sibling bonds, she thought happily. She didn't say a word, but looked at Naruto, telling him to say something because it wasn't her place but his. Temari was his fiancée after all.

Naruto wondered if his mother had a manipulative streak behind that warm smile of hers. If he was the one to say something comforting, it would only improve his relationship with the blonde haired girl.

Inwardly he was amused. People thought she was stupid. It was them who were stupid. Kushina wasn't stupid. But her attitude could fool anyone.

Naruto looked at Temari, flipping the pages within his mind, wondering how he would go about this one.

''There has been nothing you can do really,'' Naruto said quietly. ''There are times we really want to change something with all our hearts, but can't do anything. That is the reality of life. Perhaps to say the cruelty of life suits it better.''

''So because you're not powerful enough you have just have to watch and let things go wrong?''

Naruto shook his head slightly. ''When you can't do anything yourself, you have to look up to those who can do something,'' he said. ''I have learned that there are things I can't change and it isn't power alone that changes all things. When you can't do anything, you have to trust someone and depend on them to change things for you.''

''What happens when there is no one you can't trust, someone you can depend on?''

''Then call it the end of life,'' Naruto said. ''But, as long as it isn't the end, there will always be someone. You may find it difficult to find that person, but you'll eventually find someone to lean on. My mother is here now, I am here as well. We will always be there for you. Now and in the future. She will help your brother, you can depend on her. And perhaps someday in the future, you can depend on me as well.''

Yes, he was striving for the mind and power to protect what he held dear. Right now, he couldn't do much without dying, but in the near future, he would grow strong enough to handle things for his mother for those he cared for. He would not fail at it.

Seeing the smile on Temari's face, Kushina flashed Naruto a grin. Giving him an invisible thumps up. ''Smile a bit will you? To maximise the effects of your words.''

''The moment has passed,'' Naruto said with a shrug.

''What did I say Naruto? Do you want me to repeat myself?''

''No, mother'' Naruto said before smiling.

Gaara looked at the pair. He found them curious, and he envied them. Having a mother, walking like this, talking like that. He had certainly wished to walk with a mother being held like this. He had seen other children being held as well, and he had longed for it. He was held now, and it felt warm. It made him happy even though his expression wouldn't show it.

This is what it felt like to have a mother. Earlier, it had felt weird when she picked him up, but it was a good weird. It had brought a fuzzy feeling in his heart and he had liked it. Yet, his mouth couldn't open up to say anything. He was content with just walking like this, listening to the three talk.

It was a new experience, and Subaku no Gaara liked this experience.

So when Kushina let him go, he felt disappointed. He just stood there, staring into the empty space ahead. Wondering if she'd just been playing with him, giving him a taste of this good feeling and then stripping it away from him before he could enjoy it.

Now that would be cruel.

''Come on, Gaara,'' Kushina called the dazed redhead. They'd reached their destination – a quiet playing ground. Hugging his teddy bear with his other hand, Gaara slowly made his way towards the Uzumaki. ''What's wrong?'' She asked as she sat down beside Naruto and Temari.

Gaara slowly shook his head, but offered no words in response. Perhaps he wasn't used to this kind of attention. Normally people ran away from him, and others looked at him with murderous eyes, but this was a warm feeling. Something a part of him told him that he really needed to have in his life.

''He doesn't talk much, huh?'' Naruto asked, looking straight at the redhead. Had he been Sasuke, he would've smacked the boy already. But Gaara was a different kind of person, there was no harm.

Temari shook her head in response. ''It can't be helped,'' she said. ''No one speaks to him. Our father doesn't even look at him on a good day, and though we care, he hardly responds to our attempts to start conversation. After breakfast, he just gets up and leave the house.''

''Not that you have any good conversation starter,'' Naruto said earning a look from his mother. ''Its obvious that things are awkward between them. They are siblings yet so far apart. They live in the same house, yet in different worlds. Do you have anything you can say to him when it is just the two of you?''

Temari nodded, ''I just find it difficult, and in end, I don't say anything,'' she said quietly. ''But I do care and wish to change things.''

''Well, he is right here and can hear you perfectly. Speak to him,'' Naruto offered, taking out his Fuinjutsu book to get some reading done. He certainly had a lot of ground to cover up. There were a lot of things he didn't know about the art, and as an Uzumaki, he had to be an expert in it.

Temari blinked twice. All this time she'd been talking so comfortably and she hadn't actually registered the fact that Gaara was with them. She'd felt so free to speak as if he wasn't here, but now that she'd been brought back to reality, she didn't know what to say. She just smiled nervously, and looked at Gaara, who gave her a blank stare as if to dare her to say something.

''The first step is always the most difficult, but once you take it, everything becomes easy. You must muster up the courage to speak and things will fall to line,'' Naruto said as Kushina watched on. ''He knows you're his older sister, given everything, you can understand the expression.''

''Do two do know that Ga-chan can hear you?'' Kushina asked, ruffling up Gaara's hear as he was sitting closer to her. ''Naru-chan is a mean person, isn't he, Ga-chan?''

For the first time since the four set out of the Kazekage residence, Gaara spoke his first words. ''Ga-chan?'' He said, looking at Kushina with a strange expression on his face.

Kushina smiled warmly. ''It is your new nick name from me, don't you like it?'' She asked intently. There was some kind of an air around her that said it didn't matter if he liked it or not. She would continue to call him as she liked.

Gaara shook his head and looked down. He again hugged his stuffed animal, before speaking in a whisper. ''Nobody has calls me like that,'' he said.

Kushina's smile turned into a grin. ''If you like, I can call you many more sweet names. I have lots for Naru-chan. I can tell you some of them later on,'' she added in a whisper.

''Just the one is fine,'' Gaara said quietly.

It was one of those difficult moments for Naruto. He honestly didn't like it when someone was getting all warmly with his mother. He certainly would've been glaring at Gaara by now if it was a year ago. Still, Gaara was a Jinchuriki, just like him. He could let this slide. But, Kushina was his mother and his mother alone. He was just going to allow to have his moment, besides, if he did anything stupid, his mother wouldn't be happy with him.

Gaara was a sad person. She wanted to save him from the path he was falling into. Surely, if there was nothing done, he was indeed going into a much darker path, coupled with more pain and loneliness. But this time, there was a chance to even start his childhood. He could still live a normal life by the time they do leave this village. It was with that reasoning, that Naruto felt it was something he shouldn't envy.

Yet, the feeling in his heart didn't go away.

''Don't tell me that you're jealous,'' Kushina said to Naruto, seeing his silence.

''Not at all,'' Naruto said quietly. ''I was just thinking about how sweet it is that you're doing something like this. You took out us here because you felt they needed this, right?''

''You're diverting from the subject,'' Kushina accused her son, but nodded nonetheless. ''What do you sat we do to have some fun then?''

''Its okay if you spend time with them,'' Naruto said, staring into his book. ''I need to sort out of a few things. I'll join you shortly.''

Kushina sighed, but didn't question her dear son. ''Come on you two. Lets go do something fun and leave Mr. broody all alone.''

That said, the woman pulled Temari and Gaara away. Naruto frowned slightly as he shook his head. A good thing his mother wasn't worried by his choice. Perhaps she understood his reasoning.

With that in mind, Naruto dived into his mindscape.

The place was just filthy. It wasn't that it smelled. No, the condition was just ridiculous. This was a damn sewer for kami's sake, and you stuff a Bijuu down here. Naruto didn't have any personal hatred towards the Kyuubi. They were both stuck in an unfortunate situation together, and the beast had been manipulated by a filthy Uchiha into attacking Konoha, so the situation couldn't be helped.

It was another of those make do situations.

The drips. So damn annoying. Naruto would have gone insane already if he had been forced to be tortured by that sound 24/7. This did nothing but confirm what he'd first thought. This was truly the worst type of prison one could ever be thrown into.

A thought sneaked into the back of his mind. What if humans could be thrown into a seal like this. How would they live. He would definitely not object if the whole of Konoha was to be sealed in this type of conditions. It would suit them. They were crap after all. What better of a place to find crap than a sewer. Naruto felt those damn hypocrites were much more suited to be in such a place than the Kyuubi.

In his eyes, the Bijuu wasn't the evil one, but those damn humans were the evil.

As he walked through the water, Naruto finally reached the large bars that formed a gate. A creeping darkness laid behind. If it wasn't because Naruto trusted the work of Fuinjutsu, he would've been afraid. The feeling behind those bars was just ominous. If he spent good days being suffocated by that feeling, by the time he walked out of here, he would be mad.

Those blood red eyes slowly opened as the darkness behind the bars seemed to disperse. The Kyuubi appeared, lying on the water, head resting on its paws. It was pathetic to see a Bijuu so feared stuck like this. Naruto almost pitied the Bijuu.

Almost.

The Bijuu didn't say a word, it just stared at him, unblinking. Naruto stared back.

''I can understand why the hypocrites fear you, but I feel that I can never fear you. Perhaps it is because I have been in contact with you since I was still forming within my mother's womb,'' Naruto paused for a moment. ''This does make me some sort of a perfect Jinchuriki for you, don't you think?''

The Kyuubi said nothing.

Naruto continued speaking. ''I don't like humans either,'' he smiled in bitter amusement. ''Yet, I am human, my mother is human as well. Still, humans are truly despicable creatures. My mother is not. Perhaps she is the reason I have this hope that not all humans are bad.''

The beast closed its eyes for a moment before continuing to stare at Naruto for a full moment. ''What do you want, human?''

''My mother says to conquer your hatred, one must love. But I don't think I can do that. I think I can try to get along with your hatred. Why do you even this hatred to begin with. You hate human, why? Reasons make me understand q few things. We both don't like humans, and I'm certain you hate the Uchiha who manipulated you as well,'' Naruto paused for a moment. ''Both of us are victims of an unfortunate incident, but we have been together since I was in my mother's womb. I have the marks to confirm that. We will get along one day, because we don't have a choice but to make the best out of the situation.''

The Kyuubi snorted. ''I have no plans on getting along with you brat. In the end, you're human and all humans will turn the other way eventually...''

Naruto raised his index finger. ''I just told you: humans are despicable and I don't like them. I care not for other things in this world. It can burn to crisp, be dragged into madness and chaos. I wouldn't care as long as I can keep my mother safe and happy.''

The Bjiuu looked amused. ''Your mother wouldn't approve of such words, neither would your father...'' it said. ''But for a first appearance, this is certainly interesting. Now, get out of my space. I wish to rest.''

''No,'' Naruto said as he floated into the empty space. He crossed his feet and 'sat' in air. ''Tell me about that One-tailed Bijuu? You must have sensed it.''

The Kyuubi looked surprised for a moment that Naruto had said no so plainly. He then burst into laughter for a few moments. ''I don't like that crazy Tanuki anyway. What do you want to know?''

A few minutes later, Naruto was pulled out of the mindscape when he felt a tug on his right shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at the source: Gaara.

''Your mother said to call you...'' the redhead said.

Naruto blinked before shaking his head. He held out his right hand. Gaara stared at it and then stared at his own. A few moments of deliberation, and he finally took Naruto's hand and helped the blond get up.

''So, Gaara, how does it feel like to meet someone who has a stuffed animal inside of them? Some like you?''

''Someone like me?'' Gaara looked at Naruto curiously as if he didn't know the blond was a Jinchuriki. He then shook his head, ''I don't know,'' he answered.

It sounded like an honest response. ''You're like me, so I don't dislike you. I think I will like all Jinchurikis. We're more than humans after all,'' Naruto said with a small smile.

Later That Day

''What are you doing at a place like this on your own, Naruto?'' Kushina asked as she walked towards her son - who was sitting atop of the Kazekage residence on his own. ''I was worried when you suddenly disappeared.''

''Sorry for worrying you mother,'' Naruto said in a quiet tone. ''I've just been having a lot in my mind,'' he added, settling on to stare at the empty space ahead of him.

Things had changed in ways he couldn't have imagined or even dreadfully hoped. For as long as he had known to live, he had been dealt with so many painful memories. But of course, there were those good times that he cherished. Certainly the moments with the Uchihas and his other people were memoroes worth holding onto. The times with his mother couldn't be put into an argument. It came natural that they were memories he held dearest.

As continuously as live kept changing, new things aroused. It depended on the situation you were to determine whether the changes would be good or bad. For Naruto, the circle of life was no sweet ride. It was a painful ride. For as much as he told himself he didn't care for anything other than his mother, more troubles just seemed to pile up on his young life.

Children were playing in the parks, playing games of catch, showering smiles to others while parents watched with content. This was the same in outward appearance in Konoha, yet Naruto had never gave it much of a thought. He'd always looked at the other way or just with indifference. Perhaps it was because he knew those people were damn hypocrites. Children they may be, but they were no different from their parents. They did everything their hateful vermin told them anyway.

Naruto stopped his train of thoughts as his mother sat comfortably on his right hand side. She offered him a smile before speaking. ''The atmosphere here is really lovely, isn't it?''

Naruto nodded, ''It is,'' he said. ''It's very different from Konoha. The people here are truly happy and have no lurking darkness as they have in Konoha. Perhaps we just don't see it because we are hopeful for something different.''

''It's nice to hear you say you're hopeful about something,'' Kushina said with a warm smile. ''Hope keeps you running towards the light at the end of the tunnel, and without it, you just give up on everything.''

''That is what I have come to realize,'' Naruto said in quiet tone. ''This village has a different impact on me. It makes me reaffirm my hope on a better tomorrow. You always say that we have to hope for a happy future. I've always wondered why? I mean I had you, what more did I want?''

''There are so many times we feel that we only need one person in our lives, but the truth is we can't function in society without other people. You need friends, companions, comrades, all the like to be able to fully live your life. Without those, you'll always lack something.''

''It's unusual for you to speak so calmly, mother,'' Naruto noted with a smile.

''Anything for you, Naruto,'' Kushina said, putting on her left hand on Naruto's head before ruffling his hair a bit. ''Anything for you,'' she repeated.

''Ino calls me her friend, her knight, I'm not sure actually understand it all. Perhaps I just don't want to because I want my world to revolve around you only. I told Temari to hope or to try to take actions that will lead to a better tomorrow. I life full of joy - a life that she desires for her siblings.

I say stuff like that to other people. You say stuff like that to me. Do you know something that struck me, mother? Saying things like that makes me a hypocrite. I don't follow that rule. I don't like humans, yet I like you. I have little hope in them, and I don't really give it my all to try to make my life better. Isn't that you wish for me to smile as other kids?

As I was watching others today, I saw how happy it made the parents. I want to make you happy like that, mother. And I don't want to be a hypocrite. I want to try harder to change like you want me to. I know that will make you happier, and as much as I try to deny it, it will make me happy as well.''

Smiling warmly, Kushina thought through everything Naruto said before asking, ''So what is the problem, dear?''

''I don't know how. Gaara is like me. We are the same. He is special as I am, so he is someone I can eventually call a friend. But I don't know how to make friends, I don't how to handle it.''

Kushina put on her right hand on Naruto's left shoulder and pulled him closer to her. ''Just do what you did with Shikamaru. I know you're not exactly friends, but that is how friendship starts Naruto. Be yourself, and don't pretend to be something you're not. I know we won't have those moments as other families do, but we can make the most of our bond by trying to improve.''

Naruto nodded slightly. ''Its warm when you hold me close.''

Kushina laughed slightly, ''Well, I'm your mother,'' she said. ''I'm supposed to be warm. We have missed moments, like this, huh?''

''Yes. There has just been too much recently. But when we do leave this village, we should have more time,'' Naruto said. ''Neither of us are too interested in what happens around the Elemental Nations, so it will just be freedom and ignorance.''

''We'll enjoy it. Perhaps we'll truly enjoy our lives without the weight and eyes of Konoha looking over our shoulders,'' Kushina said in thought. ''Are you really going to be okay with Jiraiya being with us?''

Naruto nodded. ''I hold no ill feelings towards him,'' Naruto said.

''It makes me wonder, why...''

Naruto appeared to think about it for a few moments before responding. ''My reasoning has been that I can't fault him because he is not really my family. If he was someone attached to me by blood, then I would've been mad. But Jiraiya's greatest attachment was father.

Perhaps another reason is my view of humans. We are bad people. Our nature sickens me, and when a human does something outrageous, I do not find it to be a surprise. It is what you expect from humans,'' Naruto said. 'perhaps it isn't humans that I dislike, but their actions...' he added in thought.

''That is a very unhealthy way of viewing things,'' Kushina said in a strong tone. ''Have a more positive outlook of things, will you? Being cynical won't make you happy. It will only make you miserable.''

''Perhaps,'' Naruto said, pausing to gather his words. ''I spoke with Kyuubi today.''

Kushina did not tense, she just held Naruto a bit firm, smiling sadly. ''How did it go?''

''As you can imagine, but I think we got along pretty,'' Naruto said.

Kushina wasn't surprised. ''Well both of you have a somewhat similar outlook on humans. Kyuubi hates humans more than anything. Well, Uchiha come first. Despite being one, and your mother being one, you're not a fan of humans either. They've done nothing but tormented you - the majority anway. It is the same with the Bijuu, humans have done nothing but hunt down its kind and see them as nothing more than weapons.''

''For a being that has hundreds of years and is actually intelligent, I'd harbour the same feelings if I was in its position,'' Naruto said. ''How was your relationship?''

''We didn't have any. I just felt that he needed to be sealed because he was too dangerous,'' Kushina said. ''Ultimately, that wasn't my decision or idea. It was the Shodai Hokage who said those words before Mito sealed it within herself, and and they were passed down to me.''

''Too dangerous to be left alone?'' Naruto said in wonder. ''Because we're humans, we think we have the right to decide on everything that crawls upon this land. Bijuus are beings of intellect, and because of their power, we just see them as nothing more than mass beings of chakra that we have to control.''

''That is the General thought, but not people like us,'' Kushina said smiling.

''The Kyuubi has been denied its freedom, and although I do not see it as a weapon, I cannot free it, unless something I value perishes. I'm selfish as well. The first thought is my own wellbeing,'' Naruto said smiling sadly. ''Why does it not surprise you? My talk with the Kyuubi...''

''The situation is like with Temari. Both of you are tied together, and you told her that since they were tied together, they had to work around the issue and learn to live with it. There was time to grow into it. Fighting it won't do, but accpeting it would make you better,'' Kushina paused for a moment. ''I figured you'd say the same thing to the Kyuubi since you hate being a hypocrite.''

''I try to be a better human, mother,'' Naruto said. ''Do you really think that we can live normally, mother?''

Kushina nodded firmly. ''Yes, we can. We just have to give it a try. You can never be certain about anything unless you try. Have some hope, haven't I always told you?''

''You have,'' Naruto said. ''The Sand family reminds me of the Uchiha. We really had a good relationship with them. They were humans who got along with us and were people we liked.''

Kushina nodded. ''At least Mikoto-chan is still there...''

''Yes, but things will never be the same. I thought I didn't care about them when they disappeared, and now this friendship we're creating with the Kazekage's family is making me realize that I was wrong. I do miss them, and a part of me cared.''

''I miss them too,'' Kushina said. ''But that is a part of our lives that has been ripped away. We did enjoy it while it lasted, huh?''

''We did,'' Naruto smiled in thought. ''My priorities have not changed, but I can create room for hope. You'll always be the first thought mother, no matter what. I promise to try making you proud.''

''That's what I want to hear,'' Kushina said smiling brightly. ''Your father put Konoha first, but I will not. You are my priority. It wouldn't be fair if both your parents put you second in everything.''

Naruto leaned his head on his mother's shoulder and closed his eyes, smiling warmly. ''Let's stay like this mother,'' he said in a whisper.

''Anything for you, Naruto.''

 **The Following Day**

Kushina had worked the wonders of fuinjutsu on Gaara and now the Jinchuriki was sound sleep. It had been a rather risky part in restructuring the seal that held the Bijuu inside of him. His mother had to add a few things on the seal to make it stronger and work differently from the original. It was the seal that was the failure not Gaara. This was why the seal that held Shukaku had to be made anew with the chance of the Bijuu breaking free from its binds.

Kushina had done all preparations, setting more than two barriers just in case something happened. She certainly didn't want to repeat what had happened when she was giving birth to Naruto. You never knew within this Elemental Nations who was planning what with your life. To avoid such a disaster, the Uzumaki took all measures necessary and the sealing went along without a hitch and any complications.

Gaara would be free from Shukaku's torments. He would no longer hear the Bijuu's voice unless he wanted to and that was what was need. That was what Rasa believed would make his son valuable again.

It was interesting the man viewed things based on value. Perhaps it had something to do with his ninjutsu. If Naruto wasn't wrong, the man used gold dust. Well, it was only fitting for someone who used that kind of jutsu.

Yet, it was disappointing that the man put that same price on his family. Family was family and nothing could change it. It didn't matter how pathetic and useless that person was, what was important was the blood flowing within that person and the bond shared.

Perhaps Naruto Hated the kind of thought that made a man sacrifice his life for his other love because it was the same sacrifice that made him what he was. Still, what Rasa did was just wrong.

Naruto could never go that low. Well, his only true family was his mother, and she came above all things.

Naruto had been a little disappointed that even though his mother wanted him to see the sealing, she didn't allow him to witness the ritual. He had to wait until she returned, exhausted from the sealing and was now taking a nap.

If this had been anyone who'd made his mother work this hard, Naruto would surely not like that person.

Of course having so hard, Rasa would owe them. Naruto may not say anything now, but a day would come and the same could be said for Gaara. If he still ends up turning up nasty, he would face his wrath because his mother did what she did to make him better.

The fact that he was a Jinchuriki could be put aside.

''You really care for your mother, huh?'' Temari said, walking into the room Kushina laid with Naruto sitting at her bedside, waiting for her to wake up from her nap.

''Was there any doubt?'' Naruto asked, without turning to face the blonde haired girl – his eyes were firmly fixed on his mother.

Temari shook her head. ''Your attachment towards your mother is just a little surprising. You're unlike those other kids with mother complexes,'' she said before halting just beside her fiancé.

Naruto looked at the blonde with a slight frown. ''Mother what?'' He asked as if he'd never heard of it before. Before Temari could respond, Naruto shook his head slightly. ''There is nothing unnatural with my attachment towards my mother. Perhaps I am more closer to her because she is the only one I have.''

''I'm wounded by that,'' Temari said in a playful manner. In his response, Naruto didn't seem to recognize the playfulness on her tone.

''Why?''

Temari decided to go with it anyway. ''Well, I'm your fiancée, when you say that your mother is the only one you have. What do you makes me feel?''

Naruto stared at her for a few moments before realizing she wasn't being serious.

He smiled slightly though, shaking his head in the process. ''I usually forget that we have an agreement. So you really should form part of my life. I remember saying that we have to learn to live with this or it will never become something right.''

Temari smiled slightly. ''You really do think a lot deeper for someone your age...''

''That what life has brought me and forced me to become,'' Naruto said quietly. ''I live with it and make the best of it. I have been guilty of not trying to enjoy it, nevertheless.'' At least with other people. He did enjoy his life with his mother.

''I don't ever picture you laughing around like the brats. I don't think it even suit you. I see you as you are, so I cannot picture you in the frame,'' Temari said.

''I wouldn't suit me, huh? Well, I guess I have always maintained a somewhat cool and dignified image about myself. I'd really be suitable for a clan heir,'' Naruto added in thought. ''What do you think of the future?''

''I don't know,'' Temari said shaking her head. ''I don't think that far ahead. My mind is too wrapped up on what happens around me currently to think that far. Besides, I'm still just a kid. Future plans are for parents. There is one matter that makes me think though.''

''Our engagement,'' Naruto said.

Temari nodded, ''I wonder if it will ever happen. For so long as I can remember, I was informed that since I was the Kazekage's daughter, I would get married off to someone for political reasons. I think I have come in turns with that as my responsibility.''

''This is more than just politics,'' Naruto said, but didn't enter into detail about it.

Temari nodded. ''There are a lot of things involved. But I'm glad that I at least get to share my fate with someone like you. I hope that even in the years to come, you're still this kind to me and my family.''

''Kind? This is perhaps the first time I have been accused of being kind.''

Temari let loose of a small and quiet laugh. ''Accused?'' she repeated smiling. ''You say some weird things. To say you're kind isn't an accusation. Why do you make it as if it is a bad thing?''

''I don't know,'' Naruto said with a shrug. ''But you can rest assured. I will not become something that will sadden my mother.''

Temari smiled. "I have no doubt about that," she said confidently.

Naruto looked at her for a moment, wondering where she got all that confidence to say something like that.

''Naruto, can I talk to you?'' Rasa suddenly called, leaning against the door frame of the room.

Naruto looked at his mother, thinking. He didn't want to leave her at a time like this. He needed to be by her side. She could wake up needing him.

''Don't worry. I'll look after her. She is my mother in-law after all,'' Temari said smiling. Although it was barely noticeable, Naruto's face twitched when she said that. He didn't really like sharing his mother, it seemed.

It took a full minute and Rasa's patience for Naruto to finally make a reluctant decision of leaving his mother. Without saying a word, he got up from the chair he was sitting on and walked towards the Yondaime Kazekage.

''What is that you wish to speak to me about, Kazekage-sama,'' Naruto said in politely. It sounded like a question, but it was more of a statement from Naruto.

''I'm happy that your relationship with my daughter is steadily improving. I don't have to worry about you not getting along with her as the years progress,'' Rasa said neutrally.

Naruto said nothing. Rasa assumed the blond was waiting for his question to be answered before responding.

''Both the Sandaime Hokage and I made the contract because we had our own reasons. If I were to put it bluntly, I'd say you were not the first thought, but we did it for the sake of our villages,'' Rasa said, though he had an idea that Naruto already knew this. ''Your mother only agreed because she thought of you. Do you know why that is?''

''Mother loves me and desires for me to be happy even as I grow up,'' Naruto only said.

Rasa explained it with a bit of details. ''Your mother saw that the kids your generation were taught to dislike you. Because of that, she feared that you may not have someone that will love you when you do grow up. So she picked Temari who had a brother for a Jinchiriki and could certainly understand you.''

''I'm already aware of this,'' Naruto said. ''What is it that you want? I don't want to sound impolite, but I get itchy when someone tries to go around the bush with me...''

Rasa merely smiled and waved the blond off. ''The decision was made before you got acquainted with the Yamanaka girl.''

Naruto frowned slightly. He wasn't surprised that a man such as Rasa would know about his relationship with Ino. The man was a Kazekage after all and he was contracted to marry the man's daughter. It was given that he would keep an eye on him. But that wasn't what was making him frown.

''Are you threatened that I'll like Ino and end up leaving your daughter? There is that choice after all...'' Naruto said.

Adults. Even as he asked the question, Naruto had little doubt that he was indeed correct in his assumption. It was even shameless for the man to bring such a subject with a straight face.

''I won't deny that, but I can't say I'm exactly threatened. I'm just worried. You seem to be getting along just fine with my daughter though. That gives me hope,'' Rasa said.

Being proven right – even though the man didn't want to fully admit it – made Naruto's frown deepen.

What had that poor girl done? Ino was just someone he got along quite well even if she was a kid from Konoha. Hell, his relationship with her proved that not all was lost, even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone.

If he were to crush things with Temari, it would be a loss to Rasa, and the man was just trying to ensure that it didn't come to that. He wanted things to happen in a way that would benefit him.

Well newsflash Kazekage, nothing went along the way he want them to.

''Kages,'' Naruto said mildly. ''You're all the same. Your villages always come first before your families. You don't use cheap words like care, and the like. You 'value' things. Right now, I'm valuable, and that makes me important to you. Then?''

''If there is ever anything you'll ever require, feel free to ask me. Perhaps I may become connected to you as my children have connected with your mother,'' Rasa said. ''Bottom line is that you can always come to me if there is ever anything you need.''

''I see. I guess I can enjoy the benefits of being deemed valuable by you,'' Naruto said quietly. ''My natural Element is Wind. I will require scrolls that will help me get better at it.''

Rasa raised an eye brow: the blond surely didn't waste time to ask something. Well, that was what made the boy interesting. Still, ''You do know that I can't give you treasured jutsus that belong to the village...''

''That's news to me,'' Naruto said as if it was truly something new to him. ''As far as I remember, I'm engaged to your daughter which makes me your family, and technically, also part of Sunagakure. My mother just put value in Gaara and if my memory isn't fooling me, she is a Fuinjutsu master who can teach your people a few things.

"Of course helping me out means that I will forever be grateful and may perhaps work things out in your favor in the future…" he paused for a moment before adding. "Or perhaps just going to backtrack on what you just said?"

Rasa stared. Perhaps he'd underestimated the blond. The Sandaime had said the boy wasn't stupid, but he hadn't expected this. He'd never really talked with Naruto on this level before, so perhaps he could be forgiven for the mistake.

''And if I say I still can't do that?'' Rasa asked out of curiosity more than anything. He was going to give the blond what he wanted, but he still wanted to hear how the blond would respond.

Naruto merely shrugged indifferently and turned away from him, heading back to his mother.

Somehow that translated to, ''then I'm not as valuable to you as I think I am,'' it also reminded the Yondaime Kazekage that even if he refuses, Naruto wouldn't care too much about it. He would just go back to his mother.

Just to be sure, Rasa called out, "You really wouldn't care if I don't give you the scrolls?"

Naruto nodded. "But I also wouldn't care about what you want. If I work things with Ino, my mother will still be happy…"

Rasa stared as the blond disappeared. What had that old man brought into his house? It was dangerous that someone so young could play this kind of game with him.

The blond understood his position quite well… and wasn't afraid to use it for his own benefit. Then again, should he really complain? He was using the boy as well.

 **A Day Later**

''I'm surprised you're still in the country,'' Naruto said to Itachi. The two were sitting in one of Suna's training grounds, chatting as if the Uchiha wasn't a wanted criminal.

Itachi had put a powerful genjutsu around them that wouldn't be noticed by anyone who didn't have a Doujutsu. Thankfully, Sunagakure had no Doujutsu users, so the two were safe and could talk as much as they wanted, all in the outside, it would appear as if Naruto was alone, reading his beloved Fuinjutsu book, as he normally did at this time of the day. It wouldn't be anything unusual to the Anbu who were always watching him because this wasn't out of his schedule but something he has been doing since coming into this village.

A henge would have worked, but shinobi can read lips and Naruto didn't want anyone asking him who was talking to. This presented the best chance, and it was always amazing to see Itachi's genjutsu at work. As far as he was concerned, the Uchiha had no rival when it came to Genjutsu.

Naruto envied those blessed with these kind of eyes. But it didn't mean that he didn't believe he could reach new heights because he didn't have a doujutsu. He could still make it. He had the Uzumaki blood after all.

''Konoha shinobi can't look everywhere for me,'' Itachi said quietly. ''And they stopped after a day or two. The work will be left for Hunter-nins. Not that will do any good.''

Being a member of the Akatsuki meant that he wasn't going to be running around the Elemental Nations fearing for Hunter-nins. He would be safe within the Akatsuki and most of all, Uchiha Itachi wasn't someone who could be taken easily. He wasn't just an S-rank shinobi for show.

''I'd assume so,'' Naruto responded in the same tone as Itachi. ''You're not the one to he hunted by Hunter-nins. The Sandaime Hokage is probably keeping the farce just for appearances. He knows you can't be brought down by those. Then again, I'm not particularly sure how strong Hunter-nins are.''

''They are more or less like Anbu, but they know the human body much better. They don't specialize in flashy Jutsu like we do. They mostly use senbons to render their target immobile.''

''So a jutsu battle will only be forced if they can't put out the target. Its possible that they just appear out of nowhere. They are masters of silent 'killing' by the looks of it,'' Naruto frowned slightly. ''I surely wouldn't want to end up being hunted by them. But that sums up your situation, huh?''

Itachi shook his head. ''I certainly have to run from Konoha shinobi, but I don't have to worry much. I'll be keeping most of my times away from the sight,'' the Uchiha said calmly. ''Your situation is very unfortunate. I didn't know my actions would result in such consequences.''

''No one foresaw it. Perhaps some god who just amuses himself in humans suffering saw it, but we didn't. I'd wish for nothing more than your brutal death if my mother had been the Jinchuriki,'' Naruto said.

He'd said so with a straight face, and so calmly. Itachi wasn't surprised. This was how Naruto was. Even if the blond does change, his mother would always have the first thought. She would be above everything else. He'd put Konoha above the Uchiha, and had been willing to rid of the whole clan, but Naruto had stopped that. So he could understand. They could understand each other.

He knew it better than anyone that Naruto loved his mother, and the blond understood his love for Konoha best.

''That is just how unpredictable the shinobi world is,'' Itachi said. ''I came here to tell you that I've actually joined an organization that is made up of S-ranked criminals. Even Orochimaru is a member. There are members that are even stronger than I am.''

''I see,'' that was all Naruto said, despite the news.

Itachi contemplated about telling Naruto about Madara, but he decided against it. He would only do it until he was sure it was safe to do so. Surely, the blond would be more than happy to spend all his energy to training to become strong enough to kill this Madara. But Itachi didn't want to influence Naruto in that manner. Besides, he wasn't sure if that man would know about him telling Naruto about him. For now, it was safe to just tell him about the Akatsuki.

''I fear that they will become a major threat in the near future. I don't know what their goal is, but just know that you might end up facing S-ranked enemies in the near future.''

''I see,'' yet again, Naruto gave that same response to Itachi and it bothered the Uchiha.

Naruto's lack of care about the world around him was truly a problem, yet amazing. In this way, he couldn't care less if there was a war outside of his comfort zone. As long as he could be safe with his mother, the blond was more than willing to act oblivious to the things around him. It had to do with his dislike of humans, but Itachi knew that had to change at some point. Even if he doesn't stop disliking humans, he had to start acting with more care around the world around him.

''Whether you like it or not Naruto, the situation outside your comfort zone does affect you. Where do you think you can hide if this world is forced into another war? You're a Jinchuriki, in times of war, you will be hunted down if you choose to runaway. And do you think they will live your mother out of it? They will use her against you. You don't deny it to anyone that your mother is your 'world' people notice...''

Once again, Naruto frowned. ''It would be despicable humans setting things off,'' the blond merely said.

''I know,'' Itachi said with a slight nod. ''But shinobi matters affect even civilians, especially when things are happening at your own yard. You will understand what I'm talking about when you walk into a village that is being attacked, or when Konoha is attacked. It will be even more troubling because when Konoha is being attacked, they won't allow you to protect your mother, they will force you to fight for Konoha.''

''And if I refuse?''

''You know what will happen,'' Itachi said flatly. ''They will brand you a traitor, and you will be accused of insubordination of the highest level. Refusing to fight when the village is being attacked is no different from treason. You won't just have civilians on your case, shinobi will turn on you, and whether the Sandaime likes it or not. He will be forced to act. What do you think will happen to your mother after then? Will she walk everywhere safely?" Itachi paused for a moment. ''You have to stop acting oblivious to the things around you.''

''Itachi, do you know what will happen if someone like me got all powerful and tried to change the world?''

''You hate humans, so changing it would be reduce the population or just rid of the entire shinobi population,'' Itachi said calmly. ''But I'm not asking you to try to change it. I'm telling to stop acting oblivious.''

When Naruto said nothing in response, Itachi sighed wearily. ''You will understand one day,'' he said to Naruto. ''How is my little brother?''

''A broken little sad thing. Its quite laughable that someone so gullible and weak minded is your brother,'' Naruto said, but he didn't appear amused. ''I guess the tragedy is still weighing up on him. With his mother and the rest of the Uchiha, he should be okay.''

''What about you?''

Naruto was sure Itachi wasn't asking his health but why he didn't include himself in his last statement. ''I'm going to be away from Konoha for at least 3 years. We'll talk when I get back from there. But yes, I will take care of him.''

Itachi smiled slightly. ''Don't be too rough on him,'' he said. ''I'll keep an eye on you so that I can visit you every now and then.''

''I'm going to be with Jiraiya, that won't be easy.''

Itachi nodded. ''We'll use the crows as means of communication.'' and Just like that, The Uchiha disappeared into nothingness along with his Genjutsu and Naruto stood up.

It was about time to return to the Kazekage residence.

Naruto only walked for about a couple of minutes before he came across Subaku no Gaara. As usual, the redhead was holding tight onto his stuffed animal. Naruto didn't question Gaara's attachments to his 'toy'. He had his own attachments and he preferred if people left it alone. And so Uzumaki Naruto wouldn't question someone about it when he wouldn't like it if someone questioned him about it.

He disliked hypocrisy after all.

''You look like you're coming straight to me,'' Naruto said, as he stopped in front of his fellow Jinchuriki.

Gaara nodded in response, causing Naruto to sigh.

''I was just returning to the house. Was there something or did someone send you,'' the blond asked quietly.

It really was an annoyance some times. He disliked people who couldn't stand to talk to him straight on. You needed to have the courage to say what you wanted to say or you would just keep holding onto things. Still, he wasn't going to say it to Gaara. The redhead was a likeable special being – a Jinchuriki. In his eyes, a Jinchuriki had more rights than a normal human.

Hell, he could even go as far as to say screw despicable humans and love to the good people.

''Your mother sent me,'' Gaara said in a quiet tone, his eyes down for a moment. He then looked at Naruto carefully, his expression remained blank. But the look of his eyes told Naruto that he was struggling to say something.

Naruto waited patiently for the Jinchuriki to say what he wanted to say. Even though he was pretty mild after his conversation with Itachi, he could still take this.

''D-do you want to go to p-play with me?''

It was almost amusing how Gaara had quickly looked away after saying those words. From his tone, he hoped Naruto would say yes, and was looking away because he was afraid he'd been turned down. That would surely put a sting on his already closed heart.

Naruto frowned. Other children had no problems with asking such questions. He'd observed this so many times when in the park with Ino. Of course he was never there to play but to nap, read and watch over Ino in case she did something to piss off someone. No one had asked him such a question, not that he wanted to be asked.

Because of humans, Jinchurikis had to be like this. Contact with other people was a scary thing, making friends was just foreign. Did all Jinchurikis go through all this crap? Humans. Despicable.

''I'm not much of that type of a kid,'' Naruto said neutrally before managing to smile slightly. ''I don't play. Perhaps I don't even know how to play,'' he added shaking his head.

Gaara looked curious more than anything. He tilted his head to the side and asked, ''why?''

''I've not played with other kids,'' Naruto said calmly. ''Come on, let us go hang out. I'm sure there is something we can talk about. I'm much more curious about your current state of mind with all the changes around you.''

That said, the Jinchurikis turned towards another direction.

 **A** **week Later**

The farewells were all said and everything went well. Naruto had been rather surprised when Temari hugged him. Ino didn't do that, and the only people who hugged him were his mother and Mikoto. No one else had hugged him before, the feeling of being hugged by his fiancée felt weird. Naruto had just stood there, frozen for a few moments before returning the hug.

Kushina had shed tears in the sight. Naruto was certain the tears had been fake, but she'd been absolutely happy that things had gone that far.

Things with Gaara had been 'formal'. Nothing more than a handshake had been exchanged and Naruto turned his way, leaving for the gates were Jiraiya was waiting for them.

It was that time for their adventure to begin and of everything that happened in his time within the village, this made him much more excited. He could even go as far as to say that the thought of it gave him a rush of blood.

''You've made some friends,'' Jiraiya commented as the two prepared to make way into the journey across the desert.

''So it appears,'' Naruto said with indifference.

Jiraiya frowned. That attitude was only reserved for him... Or so he thought. Naruto didn't speak to other people in that manner. He may say he doesn't hate him, but he surely didn't seem to care. Well, the blond had said he didn't care, so he shouldn't be surprised with the indifference. But they were going to be together for some time, the blond could afford to show some teeth for once.

''Don't be like that Naruto,'' Kushina said warningly. ''You'll ruin all our memories we had in Suna. Don't be hostile.''

Naruto looked at Jiraiya for a moment before looking at the endless road ahead. ''Yes, I made some friends. It was a nice change,'' the blond amended.

There wasn't a change in his tone, but this was a start. Besides, they were going to be together for some time. He was going to be persistent and Naruto would talk to him in a more friendly manner by the end of their journey together. Jiraiya had no doubt about it.

''That is a good and welcomed changed of things,'' Jiraiya said smiling a bit. ''I'm happy that that you were able to connect with other people. I hope the same could be as this in Konoha, but you can't force things.''

Kakashi chose to appear in that moment, making Jiraiya frown, but the Jonin didn't seem to notice it. ''Yoh!''

''What are you doing here, Kakashi?'' Naruto asked, his tone light.

''What? Can't I just come to see out my little friend?''

Naruto just stared, making Kakashi sigh.

''I brought you a letter from the Sandaime. He said if he was fast as your father, he would've come himself, but because he is old, he couldn't make it. Nevertheless, he gave me this,'' Kakashi said handing Naruto a small scroll.

Naruto took the scroll and pocketed it without a word to anyone.

''Aren't you going to open it?'' Kushina asked with a raised brow.

''I will open it in a good time,'' Naruto said. ''I'm guessing you're going to join us. Where are we going first?'' Naruto asked Jiraiya.

''We'll discuss that once we return to the Fire country,'' the Sannin said.

''Figured as much,'' Naruto said. ''How long?''

''A week at most, but I will be visiting you every now and then,'' the Jonin said with a smile. ''Can't afford to spend too much time away from you,'' he added jockingly.

"I'm sure Naruto would miss you too," Kushina said with a smile. "He just won't admit it. You two have grown closer…"

Kakashi gave Kushina his iconic eye smile before looking at Temari. "How did things go with Temari-chan?"

Kushina glared at Kakashi. "I don't like your tone, Kakashi and I hope you're asking if he was able to form a bond with her."

Kakashi nodded with a nervous smile. "That is what I meant," he said.

"Just fine," Naruto answered.

"As expected. As a reward, I will carry you all the way to the Fire border," Kakashi said.

Naruto took a step away from Kakashi, "I can walk on my own," he said.

Kakashi shrugged. "I wasn't giving you a choice."

As Kakashi wrestled with Naruto, Jiraiya frowned. 'This could've been me,' he thought. 'Well, I can still change things,' he nodded firmly.

 **Yoh! I haven't forgotten this one. I've just been having troubles writing anything at the moment, but when I can, I will update. Anyway, I will see if I can expand the years into a chapter. My mind hasn't been able to compute everything into a chapter, so it might take time for me to write anything. If I can't, I will do a time skip.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Birds chirped as they blasted off the surrounding trees as Naruto ran through the shadows of the trees. He was travelling through a great speed, in a terrain that was for training purposes. At the end of the line, he had his mother waiting for him.

As he ran through, Naruto came across a tree marked with an x: within a few seconds, a small Rasengan was formed at the palm of his right hand. He slammed the jutsu into the X mark. As the jutsu collided with trunk of the tree, it burst through the tree, breaking it in half. Naruto didn't stand around to witness his handy work.

He merely danced around the falling tree, and kept running. As soon as he was behind the falling tree, Naruto was welcomed by hurling kunais. The blond kept running towards them: he wasn't to stop, or the train behind him would catch up. He clasped his hands, and kept on running as he kneaded his chakra, keeping it controlled.

 **''Futon: Wind Breakthrough!** ''

Naruto shouted as he released gusts of winds and sped towards the hurling kunais. The gusts picked up some amount of dust in front of him before they collided with the kunais, sending them towards another direction, away from his path.

Naruto burst through the dust and was welcomed by another tree in front of him. On the trunk of the tree, there was a bull's-eye target. A kunai slipped into Naruto's right hand from the sleeve of his cloak. But before he could throw the kunai, two kunais were thrown towards him from the shadows of the leaves. This forced Naruto towards his left to avoid the kunais.

Naruto twisted anti-clockwise whilst still running to get some momentum going. He then threw the kunai, hitting the bull's-eye target. As soon as he hit the target, there was an explosion on the very ground his feet touched. This forced the blond to jump up and hop into a tree branch.

As soon as he landed on the tree branch, two clones flashed into existence, flanking both his sides. The clones each sent a kick towards his forehead. Reacting simply on instinct, Naruto ducked under the kicks and used his footing to jump in a burst, flying past the two clones. As soon as he did so, Naruto twisted around to face them. He threw a kunai imbedded with an explosive tag between the two, and set it off quickly. The tag exploded in a blitz of fire.

Since Naruto was also close by, the blast also caught him: Its waves to be exact. They sent him back slightly, forcing him to land on the ground on one knee. But as soon as he landed on the ground, three kunais were thrown into his sides, imbedding on the ground. As soon as they hit the ground, Naruto was certain they had explosive tags on them.

There was only one option on this.

And indeed it was as he thought. The tags burst into a cloud of intense red flames. But as soon as the cloud formed, it was ripped apart by a raging tornado of wind. The tornado created powerful gusts of winds while rotating in immense speed. The flames were snuffed out quickly and the tornado died down, revealing Naruto.

The blond was on his knees, panting slightly.

He wasn't given time to recover his breath as he was assaulted by a flying kick. The kick collided with his head and sent him flying towards a tree. Naruto cursed as his back brutally crashed into the tree.

He wasn't given to nurse his pain as he heard a shout. '' **Rasengan** ,'' a clone shouted, charging at him with the A-ranked jutsu. The clone was already at a close distance from him, and was aiming at his gut with the jutsu.

Naruto burst into a murder of crows. The crows flocked out of the way of the Rasengan and the Jutsu crashed into the trunk of the tree, splitting in in half. Naruto appeared behind the clone. With little time to act, he threw a kunai towards the head of the clone, while taking a quick step forward. The clone avoided the kunai by moving sideways slightly, but Naruto had cut the distance between the two and landed a powerful punch into the head of the clone, making it disappear in a puff of smoke.

Naruto looked behind him and saw two clones charging in. He took off without warning and ran through the ground and the clones followed.

As he ran, Naruto saw a strong branch just ahead. He slowed down for a second just for the clones to get a bit closer. He then bended down slightly, pushing chakra into his legs. He then took off into the air as he did quick jump. The clones followed him, but not as fast.

Naruto reached the branch first, and grapping it with both his hands. He used his momentum to twist around the tree branch while still holding it but not so firm to allow himself to spin freely. As he was twisting, the clones had reached him and Naruto's spin. His feet were spread wide and landed on both clones, sending them into the ground. They never reached the ground as they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto let go of the tree branch and landed on the ground. A few more tasks ahead. He let in a breath and whizzed past as the remaining trees.

He made it past the remaining trees and landed on a clear field.

''1 minute 24 seconds,'' Kushina said holding a stop watch on her right hand. ''You did well,'' she added with a smile on her face.

Naruto smiled. ''Better than my last lap times,'' he said, sitting on his butt trying to recover some breath. Once he was breathing normally, he looked up and spoke again. ''I guess I can thank all that training I received from those three,'' he said lightly.

Kushina was sure that even Itachi was included. Despite everything, yes, even the fact that the Uchiha was seen as a traitor to Konoha, her son didn't seem to despise him. Perhaps it was because they'd been friends. Kushina had never really bothered Naruto about it because he was handling it well.

''You have been working hard,'' Kushina said with a proud grin. ''You have been working hard these past four years.''

A lot did happen during these past years. Naruto had grown. He had grown. Kushina was proud. Yes, she was a proud mother. Especially knowing that she hadn't just watched him grow, she had also given in a hand for his growth. That would make any mother proud and she was sure Minato would be ecstatic as well. A pity he had died.

Kushina had realized that she couldn't stop Naruto from training. That was what he wanted, so instead of trying to get in his way, she stood by his side, helping him when he needed help, carrying him back to their place of residence when he had passed out, bringing him lunch when he was out in the fields. That was what a mother could do for her son.

Of course since she had been a kunoichi, she'd also helped in his training.

Kushina walked over to Naruto and gave him his hand, ''Tired? I can carry you back to the village,'' the Uzumaki said with a wide smile.

''I can walk,'' Naruto said.

''Ah come on, Naru-chan. I never carry you anymore unless you're unconscious. Don't you want to be in your mothers back anymore?'' Kushina said, pouting.

''I'm not a child...'' Naruto said in a low tone.

Kushina folded her hands across her bust and looked the other way. ''I think you don't love your mother anymore...''

Naruto's response was quick. ''No, mother. I will always love you. If you really want, you can carry me!''

Kushina burst out laughing. ''Hahahahaha,'' she laughed for a good minute. Ah, it never stops being funny. No matter how much he has grown, Naruto would always be Naruto. He was going to suffer the embarrassment of being laughed at by the kids in the village they were staying at just to make her happy.

''I'm just teasing you, silly,'' Kushina said.

No matter how many times she did it, Naruto always fell for it. No matter how obvious it was. Well, it was no problem; As long as his mother was laughing happily with him.

Naruto released a long breath. Apparently, even though there had been similar experiences, he had taking her seriously. The blond shook his head. ''The pervert should be back by now. If we don't hurry, he might be running through our belongings searching for our money to go get himself something strong to cue his hangover.''

This had been the morning run and Jiraiya hadn't returned to their place of residence the previous night. He'd been out, possibly whoring, getting drunk in celebrations of the success of their time away from their wretched village. More than anything, Naruto would've preferred they didn't have to go back to Konoha. If he were to be honest with himself, he had been happy truly happy out here, even with Jiraiya's presence.

But there were dangers out in the open.

A return to Konoha was the safe choice.

''If he is drunk suffering from the results of his fun, I will knockout the hangover in him,'' Kushina said, fist held firm. No doubt she intended to do exactly as she said.

It used to scare Naruto, but it no longer did. He loved it. He would be more than willing to join his mother. The blond smiled delightfully at his mother and spoke. ''Let us go see to it then, mother,'' he said.

Kushina nodded with the same smile as Naruto. Like mother like son, it appeared.

 **Minutes Later**

When mother and son returned to their little house, they were both disappointed to see Jiraiya completely sober and actually doing something that wasn't perverted. He didn't appear to be drunk or suffering from a hangover. In fact, he was sitting behind a small table with a scroll in front of him writing something with a serious expression.

Both Uzumakis didn't hide their disappointment at the scene: they'd been hoping for a Sannin beating.

It wasn't often that you got to see Jiraiya wearing a serious expression on his face. Whatever it was that he was writing; it must be serious.

Naruto understood that the man was Konoha's best source of intelligence and he was apparently very effective: that was at least what his mother was saying. The Sandaime hadn't offered much praise about the Sannin during their time together in the Sarutobi compound – Perhaps because the man was never really a subject to him.

In any case, what the man was worried about was probably something that had to do with Konoha and Naruto had no interest in that. His concerns would be what Itachi had to say. The Uchiha often had news that concerned his safety and by extension his mother's. Jiraiya worked for Konoha. That was his love. Naruto's love was his mother.

Thinking of this brought back memories of that unpleasant conversation he had with Itachi at Sunagakure. He disliked it because it tested him and tried to bring him out of his comfort zone. Subsequently, Naruto just tried to forget about it. The conversation, however, and more importantly, the implications tried pulling some strings inside his head every now and then.

The Toad Sage looked at the disappointed look in Kushina's face and then to Naruto who had a look that clearly said he was thinking deep. The Sannin looked back at Kushina. ''Why do you look so disappointed?''

''I was hoping to see you drunk so that I could smack you together with my son. You've been a good punching bag in the past years,'' Kushina said, pushing Naruto by his shoulders as he had been standing in front of her like a guard.

''Am I all that to you, Kushina-chan?'' Jiraiya said with a mock hurt look on his face. As he was speaking, his hands were folding the scroll on the table. Once he'd folded it, he pocketed it and looked back at Kushina and her son.

Kushina sat down by the window, with Naruto on her right side. She looked outside the peaceful street for a moment before looking at the other adult in the room.

''What more would you be besides A pervert? You've been a bad influence on my son. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have learned that unspeakable jutsu,'' as she spoke, Kushina looked at Naruto sternly. ''You're to never use that Jutsu again, okay?''

''Yes, mother,'' Naruto said like a good boy.

''Not fair Kushina. I have been a good influence on the boy,'' Jiraiya argued. ''He has learned a lot of things from me. It may not be directly, but because of me he has grown. Would have learned from me if he listened more to what I was telling him.''

Naruto shrugged. ''The reason I agreed to move with you was not to be like you or adopt your ideals. You are our protection and my teacher. Anything more was optional and I wasn't obligated to listen,'' the blond said indifferently.

Jiraiya adopted a hurt look. ''Minato, are you seeing this?'' He said, looking up as if he was praying. ''After everything we have been through together, your son still treats me like crap.''

"While you're at it, tell him I said hi and waiting patiently for the day we meet," Naruto couldn't help but say that.

"Did you hear that?" Jiraiya said, still in his prayer mode.

Jokes aside, things had improved between him and Naruto. The blond may not consider him as family, but at least he was edging closer. Naruto wasn't always indifferent towards him. There were moments and the blond was willing to have a conversation with him like a 'friend'. That was an improvement. One would have expected more in four years, but Jiraiya wasn't pushing his luck. He wasn't forcing things.

If he'd forced things, the blond would've told him that he should return to Konoha and Kakashi would do. Naruto didn't have problem training by himself. Most of the training routines he did had been designed by the blond himself. Jiraiya hadn't objected as they were highly effective and since he wanted to be on the good side of the blond, he had to be accommodating.

He didn't have much to do though. Naruto had already received a lot of training back in Konoha. The Sandaime had truly drilled his wisdom into the boy and the boy used it effectively when training.

''You returned far quicker today. Only had one session?'' The Toad sage asked, getting back to other serious matters.

Naruto shook his head. ''I had a few. I've just become used to that routine. I will have to change it once I return to Konoha,'' the blond said. ''Though, I doubt I will be able to draw one that will be healthy for my body. Perhaps I will continue with it until I get to complete it within seconds.''

Jiraiya just shook his head. With over four years of training, the blond had improved greatly. He didn't have a lot in the Ninjutsu arsenal, but that was because he insisted on knowing things would be usable. He said there was no use in knowing 100 jutsu and being able to use just five during battle. It was just best to perfect the few you had.

But when it came to taijutsu, fuinjutsu, genjutsu and kenjutsu, the blond excelled. What made him effective was the fact that he learned to perfect his control over his jutsus. Hell the blond could create a Rasengan in the blink of an eye. That was something Jiraiya wasn't able to do even with all his experience and years of using the jutsu.

''Your speed has improved greatly...'' Naruto was fast. What made Jiraiya frown was the fact that even though the blond did learn the Hiraishin, he never used it during a fight or training.

'I will only use it for my mother's safety,' the blond had said. To strengthen this, he didn't carry a Hiraishin kunai with him. There was only one mark he could teleport to and that was a mark on his mother.

''Konoha will be shocked when she sees how great you've become,'' Jiraiya said, he paused and adopted a serious look. ''Speaking of Konoha... There is something you must know as we are going back...''

''What is it?'' Kushina asked, sensing some seriousness in Jiraiya's tone.

''Things might be different when you return to Konoha. I don't know how it got out, but the truth is out. The village knows that the Yondaime Hokage didn't just choose a random child to bear the Kyuubi. He chose his newborn son to save the village while sacrificing his life...''

''So, how did the villagers take it?'' Kushina asked while Naruto remained silent, but unconsciously, Kushina's hand was already around him, pulling him closer to her, as if she was trying to protect him from something.

''They demanded the truth from the Sandaime, and admitted to it,'' Jiraiya winced about a thought running through his head. ''The reason I had us stop here was because I didn't want us to leave a trail of our movements anywhere. This village is hidden away from shinobi matters. It made it possible to just hide without anyone knowing anything. The people here don't even know who I am.''

''No matter how much you try to tell them in your drunken state that you're the great legendary toad sage,'' Kushina added, a bit sarcastically.

All the seriousness evaporated as Jiraiya smiled sheepishly, ''I tend to say a lot when drunk,'' the Sannin said a bit sheepishly. He then looked at Naruto. ''What do you think of this?''

''Don't care much,'' that was Naruto's response and predictable as it may have been, it made both Jiraiya and Kushina frown hearing.

''You will have to care eventually,'' Jiraiya said firmly.

Kushina frowned, seeing where it was going. ''As much as I don't want to stand with Jiraiya on this matter, I don't think you'll have a choice, Naruto,'' she said to her son.

Naruto just looked at her questionably.

Jiraiya explained. ''Some villagers will still look at you with contempt. Some will just try to ignore you, and those few who were rational will like you. It is how things will be for a while. But Naruto, you're not invisible. You're will grow into a fine shinobi and the villagers will notice, Even if they don't want to. You may not care for Konoha, but when you continue doing great things as Konoha's shinobi, they will be forced to acknowledge you.''

Naruto frowned. ''It will be unfortunate. I have no care for fame or their affection. Their opinions have been pretty clear to me...''

''People eventually change, Naruto,'' Kushina said. ''I have always told you this: unless you're god, nobody remains the same forever. When circumstances change, opinions will change, people will change.''

''You don't have to worry about anything,'' Jiraiya said. ''On the bright side of things, if the villagers change, they won't have problems protecting your mother.''

Predictably, Naruto accepted it with a smile. Jiraiya shook his head. Smart as the blond was, he could be a simpleton at times. But that didn't make him stupid.

Jiraiya was sure Naruto knew when his mother was being used to manipulate him. The blond didn't disagree to it, nor did he show displeasure. In fact, he acted as if he was oblivious to it. As long as the mother was okay, and she got to smile, the blond would do anything.

''What time are we leaving?''

''Midnight. There will be a full moon tonight. By morning we should be crossing the Fire country Border and reach Konoha at around evening...''

Naruto nodded and looked at his mother for a moment. ''I'm going for a nap.''

Jiraiya watched the blond disappear. Once he was out of the clear, the Sage looked at Kushina. ''I didn't want to say this in front of Naruto, but the revelation of his heritage was made two years ago. It has garnered a few enemies to both him and you.''

Kushina frowned. ''If he knew that, I wouldn't put it past him to consider me leaving me in the Sandaime's hands and go out to eliminate all enemies.''

Jiraiya nodded. ''We have to be careful. One will eventually slip through and if it does happens... It is predictable how Naruto will react.''

"I know. But Naruto is smart. Before we reach Konoha, he will have worked out the consequences of this revelation," Kushina said with a sad smile. "Sometimes i worry about his happiness, Jiraiya."

"We all do, Kushina. We all do," Jiraiya responded quietly. "He is still young though, he will eventually change."

 **Konoha**

The Village Hidden in Leaves: it has been long hasn't it Leaf? Naruto found himself asking, as if the village had a voice of its own. Despite the question, Naruto felt no excitement over meeting this village once again. There was nothing but indifference. This was home, yet that house he'd shared with the perverted Sannin had felt like a home more than this godforsaken village. That village he'd left had grown to mean something to him. So much that if he ever heard that someone had disturbed its peace, he would hunt them down and slaughter them with his bare hands.

Naruto shook his head. His mind was becoming more of a slaughter house. When the thought of things he didn't like ran rampant through his head, there had been thoughts of slaughtering whatever it was that was causing the disturbance. Perhaps it was the Kyuubi's chakra left within his chakra system that was making him have such bloody thoughts. It was certain who ever went into his head would surely have good nightmares.

'Are you blaming me for your own madness?' a voice said within Naruto's head.

'Are you talking to me, now?' Naruto asked the Bijuu that only spoke to him when it was convenient, which was why he kept the link active in case it had something to say.

'Should I not comment when you're blaming me for something I'm not responsible of?' The Bijuu questioned. 'If you were blaming me for your sad story then I wouldn't say anything.'

'You could attempt to be a little sorry about that you know,' Naruto said to the Kyuubi, knowing that the Bijuu felt no pity for him, nor did it think twice about what happened. It was just indifferent and Naruto wouldn't be wrong to say the Bijuu wouldn't mind going on a rampage again, this time on its own will.

The will thing was a sore subject. The fact that Naruto had a Sharingan hidden somewhere that specialized in mind control didn't make the Bijuu happy at all. It wasn't afraid to show him its distaste. Even when Itachi came up to him, Naruto had the image of the monstrous beast tossing and turning in anger at the sight of the Sharingan.

The doujutsu was a sore spot. The pride of the most powerful Bijuu had been wounded because it had been manipulated by those damned Uchihas.

Kurama snorted. 'What for?' He questioned rhetorically. 'Just don't blame for your twisted thoughts. Your thoughts don't make you a nice person. I wonder how your mother would feel if she saw what really happens inside that head of yours. My former host thought of love, and there is no love in your thoughts.'

'I wonder what would happen if I stared at you with pity and the promise of nursing your wounded pride.'

Kurama ignored the comment. 'You should become evil. With your kind of thoughts, it wouldn't be difficult for you. I'd be more than willing to help you out.'

'What are you trying, now? Are you trying to prove that you're as evil as people say you're? From what I know so far, you've been a victim being passed out to Jinchurikis like a ball...' the blond paused for a moment. 'Are you perhaps trying to get me mad so to weaken the seal so you can be free?'

'Worth a try.'

'Wouldn't be worth it. You'd just be sealed again, and this time by a 11 year old. Shukaku would certainly enjoy himself in your expense,' Naruto said and cut the link.

As he focused on the outside, he found his mother looking at him curiously. 'More troubles with my former prisoner?''

Naruto nodded. He released a long breath as he focused on the village hidden in leaves. He certainly had to watch out with his thoughts though. Or else he would certainly become something that would make his mother sad. Laughter roared at the back of his head. Yea, like something like that would happen.

''I really don't want to face the villagers,'' the blond said to his mother. ''Well, there is nothing we can do about it. At least the animosity will be lessened and it will be pleasant for us to walk about without you having to defend myself from some monkey.''

''Language Naruto,'' Kushina said sternly.

''Sorry,'' Naruto was quick to say.

''But yes,'' Kushina said with a nod. ''It will be a good change for us. Let us just hope that things eventually smooth out. And become good in the next couple of years.''

Naruto looked up into the sky - it was just past noon. They'd made it earlier than planned and Naruto was complaining: Inwardly, of course. Once again, he sighed. ''Well, it seems your word of hope will eventually bear fruit, mother.''

''What did I tell you?''

''When reality is staring at you with a glare, it is difficult to see past it. For my age, it is even more difficult. The concept of hope isn't something that I can grasp especially given how narrow-minded I can be,'' Naruto said to his mother. ''Well, I guess this is why I have you as a mother. Things would certainly be different if mother wasn't with me.''

''Yea. I'm glad I'm here to raise you,'' Kushina said with a smile. Her tone was quiet. She was thinking of Minato once again. ''Come on, son. We don't want to keep the Sandaime waiting. With his age, he might die waiting.''

Naruto smiled. It came short of laughter. But it was something nonetheless. ''He isn't that old mother.''

Kushina shook her head. ''That old man has been alive since the first shinobi world war. Do you know when that was? I mean he was even taught a few things by the Shodai Hokage. A man who lived along the times of Uchiha Madara - whose existence as become something of a myth today...''

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. ''When you put it like that...'' he didn't say anything further. ''We should hurry then...''

 **Hokage Office**

The Sandaime was inside his office along with Jiraiya - who'd come first while Naruto took some air at the Hokage Monument along with his mother. The Third was patiently waiting for the young blond he'd come to see as his grandson. Really, he was excited to see young Naruto-kun again. He couldn't even hold back his smile and he didn't feel like smoking today.

If he hadn't been held back by something, he would have even gone to welcome the blond and his mother at the gates. Yes, that was how much the blond meant to him and how much he'd missed him. Jiraiya's presence was something that he had to be reminded as he dived into his thoughts.

''I wonder when I last saw you like this,'' the Sannin said to his sensei.

Hiruzen smiled. ''It has been long,'' he said, shaking off his thoughts. Perhaps it was time to act his age. ''Were you able to find any of the Uzumakis along the way?''

Jiraiya shook his head.

''That's a pity,'' The Sandaime said. Clearly disappointed. ''If there was something, it would have meant something to both Kushina and Naruto. I'm certain young Naruto would have had something else to cherish.''

Jiraiya nodded. ''I did find something though. A trace: there was a family of redheads that gave birth to a girl, but died suddenly. The village was raided by Orochimaru who took the girl. There has been nothing aside from that. I haven't told Kushina as of yet. I don't want to give them false hope.''

''A wise choice,'' the Sandaime said with a nod. ''Besides, if Naruto saw that the news made his mother happy, he would try to find Orochimaru to get more details.''

''It has been four years, don't you think he might have changed,'' Jiraiya asked his former sensei.

The Third shook his head. ''Change is possible in some level, but when it comes to his mother. Naruto will always be Naruto,'' he said quietly. ''I like that he's grown though…'' the Third paused adopting a serious look. ''What was it that you said you had to tell me in person?''

''How deep was Naruto's relationship with Itachi?''

The Sandaime narrowed his eyes slightly. ''Deep. They had an understanding. Itachi was more of a positive towards young Naruto. If 'that' hadn't happened, Itachi would have succeeded in making the boy 'normal' why do you ask?''

''Naruto has a contract with Itachi's summons. It would have made sense to me if he'd annulled the contract when Itachi fled the village. But he didn't and doesn't hide the fact that he doesn't care much about what Itachi did,'' the Sannin paused for a moment. ''He also has a Sharingan.''

That was a shock to the Sandaime. ''What? How?''

''It's not like that,'' Jiraiya said trying to calm his sensei. ''It is implanted in one of his crows. He uses it for Genjutsu. No doubt it came from Itachi. But why would Itachi give the eye to Naruto? And where he did get it from?''

''How did you find out?''

''I saw it while he was training. And he sort of used it on me while I was pestering him about something,'' the Sannin said rather sheepishly.

''What did he say when you asked?''

''Brat told me to mind things that concerned me, and that my job was to train him and protect him and his mother...''

The Sandaime chuckled, picturing Naruto saying those to Jiraiya with a straight face. ''Naruto isn't stupid. So he doesn't care if we know. It's something Itachi gave him and knowing how close they were, even torture wouldn't get him to answer anything about it if he doesn't want to talk. In any case, there is a reason Itachi gave the eye to young Naruto, and if you want the answer, you'll have to ask Itachi himself because Naruto won't tell you.''

''That much I figured...'' Jiraiya said.

Before the Sandaime could say anything, Naruto appeared in the office along with his mother via gusts of wind. The Third blinked at the elemental **Shunshin**. He shook his head, smiling and stood up.

Naruto walked up to the old man and the two embraced. No word said.

They took their time before Naruto returned to his mother's side. ''I missed you my boy,'' the Third said happily. ''You've grown quite well for your age. I assume your time away was good for your health and growth.''

''Yes it was,'' Naruto said with a small smile. ''I thank you for it. We experienced so much good because of your consideration.''

''Anything for you,'' The Third said turning to Kushina with a warm smile. ''Kushina-chan, you haven't aged. Uzumaki genes... I presume...''

The Uzumaki nodded. ''Naturally,'' she said. ''You on the other side...''

The Sandaime merely chuckled. ''Well age hasn't been good to me... And this office doesn't make things easy for my body. But I'm still holding on.''

Kushina nodded. ''Good,'' she said. ''Naruto would cry for the first time in years if you suddenly kicked the bucket.''

''I still have a few years in me,'' he said looking at Naruto. ''I'm touched that you'd cry for me...''

Before Naruto could say anything to deny it, the doors burst open as Koharu entered the office. ''I heard you'd returned,'' she said looking between mother and son. ''Good you're in one piece and look healthy. Wouldn't want anything happening to the Yondaime's legacy...''

''You say it now?'' Kushina questioned with narrowed eyes.

''Nobody knew back then. It has to be said now since everyone knows. There are political and economic consequences to this situation. Do you know what would happen if outsiders really knew that Minato's family was being treated like demons? This is the family of the man who died protecting this village. If it hadn't been for his sacrifice, this village would have suffered massive losses. The consequences would be massive for Konoha.''

The Sandaime knew it all too well. Minato had many admires outside. If people knew that Konoha held no love for his family, even after dying for this village, those people would certainly abandon Konoha as it has abandoned its greatest hero's family.

Nevertheless, this wasn't the place and time to say it. And that woman wasn't the one to be saying it after all these years.

''What do you want, Koharu? I told you not to come to my office when not called...'' the Sandaime spoke in a very Hokage tone.

''I just came to let me know of their position before anything happens. I know you care too much to make some things clear to them...'' Koharu said shaking her head. ''Be thankful to him that he shot down and promised pain to anyone who proposes we marry you off to restore the Uzumaki clan...'' Jiraiya, the Sandaime, and Kushina froze when the old woman said those words. ''Well, at least we can still...''

''What did you just say?''

''Hmm?''

''What did you just say?''

Koharu noticed that the atmosphere in the office had become suffocating. She looked at Naruto carefully: he was looking at her with these cold eyes that threatened death.

''What do you make of my mother you loathsome, monkey?''

The Sandaime motioned for an Anbu to come and take Koharu away and that occurred within a few seconds. And everything returned to normal. Well, somewhat.

''Well, Sandaime-sama, thank you for everything. Naruto and I had a lovely time,'' Kushina said smiling, as if nothing had happened, ''Come on Naruto. Let's go home. Our house must be full of dirt and dust. Plus I have got to see Mikoto-chan...'' that said, both mother and son disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

''That kid will become a monster if something happens to his mother,'' Jiraiya said.

The Sandaime nodded. ''Someone you don't want to carry overwhelming power, but yet he has all that… Difficult situation, huh?''

''Yea,'' Jiraiya said. ''You're not really surprised he called Koharu a monkey and spoke in a very cold tone that sent chills even to my spine...''

''He was always like that,'' The Third said with a shrug of his shoulders. ''He calls the villagers who hate him monkeys. Back then, it was Kushina who was violent when something she didn't like was said about her son. Now with Naruto powerful enough to act, we will take that role from his mother.''

''Isn't that a problem?''

''Not when it's manageable,'' the Sandaime said calmly. ''Kushina is Naruto's limit. As long as she is there he won't do anything. That was a good example of it: he didn't attack Koharu. He just stared at her with death and might have threatened her.

I know how to handle him. I will take that urge off. Right now, only Kushina is his life. All we have to do is move some pieces closer and reign down the urges. Get someone into his heart and make things work out. He's predictable as he is. But once this stage passes, he will grow further.''

''Sometimes I wonder how Danzo manages to get under your skin...'' Jiraiya said with a shake of his head.

 **Senju Compound**

It was as expected: there was dust everywhere. No one has been living in the place for four years – that was the thing one would expect to see. Kushina hadn't expected the Sandaime to send someone here to clean up. There would be some violation of privacy, so to respect that, he probably left the place untouched while keeping an eye on it.

Should cleaning come first or talking to Naruto? The place was a mess. They couldn't sleep as it was and they also needed to go out and buy food. Whatever was in the fridge was rotten by now. But she also needed to have a talk with Naruto about what just happened in the Hokage's office. Naruto did scare her sometimes.

''Would it be okay if I have my clones clean up?'' Naruto said to his mother. ''They can do everything quickly and save you from some work. We can only do the finishing touches and what you think hasn't been put in the right place.''

Kushina nodded. ''Do that,'' she said.

She'd forgotten about that jutsu. Then again, she wouldn't have asked her son to clean the house by himself. She would have asked he help her clean up not see that he clean the mess alone. But since he was using his clones to do, she could live with it.

'' **Tajuu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,** '' Naruto said with a single hand seal and 20 or so Kage Bushins popped up in a cloud of smoke. Orders were clear: clean the house. The clones divided the chores amongst themselves and Naruto approved.

''Come on, let's go sit outside the garden while they clean up,'' Kushina said walking towards the back door. Naruto followed silently. As they reached outside, Kushina felt relieved that it had been taken care of. It would've been disaster if it had been left alone without anyone taking care of it.

Both mother and Son walked towards the tree that breathed at the back of the house and sat down, leaning against its trunk. Kushina looked at Naruto with a look on her face. When Naruto merely looked at her curiously, she sighed.

''Normally, I would've been the one to react to that statement...'' she started. ''Who does that old hag think she is saying I should be thankful for not getting married off? It is as if I'm their property. Marry off? I'm not a tool they can use for breeding purposes.''

Naruto nodded, agreeing with his mother. ''That makes me sick. To think someone would think of you in such a matter. We're not living in Konoha because we're a property of Konoha and anyone who thinks that will have to be reminded.''

''Well let us thankful the Sandaime stopped anything from happening - but of course, I wouldn't have agreed to anything,'' Kushina said firmly. ''In any case, you have to stop Naruto.''

''What?''

''Acting like that...'' Kushina stressed her words. ''You have to be calm at all times. You can't be acting like that when nobody is threatening my life – that would be understandable. But when someone says insensitive things, I will deal with them.''

Naruto frowned. It almost felt like his mother was begging him. He hated it. ''I wouldn't have attacked her, mother, but I would have showed her my displeasure at saying those unacceptable things.''

''I understand and know, but please Naruto, for own your sanity, don't overreact to everything, and let some things pass. I need you to think happy thoughts. Can you at least do that for your mother?''

''Anything for you mother,'' Naruto said, his tone strained a bit.

Kushina smiled sadly. It wasn't fair to do that knowing he wouldn't refuse anything she asks of him. She had held off saying that for too long, so she had to say it even if it wasn't fair. It was for his own good.

''Let's go to the Uchihas. It's been long. We will buy food when we return...'' Kushina said standing. Once she was on her feet, Naruto followed her shortly and both walked side by side, leaving the Senju compound.

''Wouldn't you like to visit our house first? It has some memories in it...'' Naruto said to his mother.

The woman smiled, ''Yea,'' she said. ''The good and bad,'' she added.

 **Uchiha Compound**

''Well that was interesting,'' Naruto said to his mother as they entered the Uchiha residence - they'd walked through the streets of the Hidden Leaf from their house.

Along the way, the villagers' reaction had been really interesting. There was a definite change in the atmosphere around the streets. When Naruto left the Leaf he had been fed up with the villagers' attitude towards his existence. They'd been blaming him for what Itachi had done. It was sick. But they'd done it. He was the scapegoat for all troubles that occurred around the village. The time away had been because of it.

What the Kyuubi had done had become a memory. But now those feelings should have returned. They should have come to understand that he couldn't have controlled the Uchiha. The damn Sharingan was supposed to the puppet master, but at that time, it had been the one being manipulated.

Foolish and ignorant monkeys.

If they'd changed about that, Naruto would have understood it perfectly. He wouldn't have found it interesting. He wouldn't have even bothered to comment on it. But now things were just different.

Even when he'd thought he wouldn't care and wouldn't be able to tell, he could tell. There were a few glares, and a lot of people going their way to avoid them. Some had looks of embarrassment. Perhaps The Sandaime had told them that they should be ashamed of themselves for taking out their hatred on Minato's son, the man who died to protect them, and if Naruto hadn't been made the sacrifice, their worthless lives wouldn't have been saved.

''Definitely, interesting, but a nice change,'' Kushina said with a nod of agreement. She looked at Naruto carefully, ''How does it make you feel?''

The blond placed his right hand on his chest, trying to feel the beat of his heart. ''I shouldn't be able to feel anything, but I feel as if there was a weight that was lifted off my shoulders. If they can just ignore me like this, I can move freely, returning the favor.''

Kushina merely smiled. ''You have a heart. I told you didn't I? Humans will change because of circumstances. Even if you don't want to admit it, the change does have a good influence on you mentally.''

Kushina was happy. She wouldn't go as far as to preach the same message Jiraiya does about doing something to have the villagers change their attitude towards him. The Sannin wanted Naruto to prove that he was a hero and a good person. Not the demon they thought he was. But Kushina was certain that Naruto wouldn't go that far. He wasn't training for the sake of the village but for both their sakes.

''Perhaps. But this feeling is strange. I feel light and it is as if i can just run around the village being carried by the wind...'' Naruto said with a slightly curious look on his face. ''Should I be feeling like this? I never thought the feeling would arise in me. However, it doesn't mean that I see them I humans...''

''Well, we can't change everything in one day, dear,'' Kushina said. ''I'm just happy that you feel free. Freedom is a step towards peace of mind.''

''Peace of mind?''

''Being at peace within your heart and mind. Having no worries. You're always troubled by the glares. The fact that you call those people monkeys means that you see them as less-human. Being free means you will be able to relax, enjoy some quietness. As of now, you're always thinking about something troublesome. That's why you're always heavy, emotionally.''

Naruto tilted his head to the side. He shook his head. He could chew on that later on.

''Do you think the Sandaime was the one who leaked the information?'' Naruto asked, looking ahead as the main house within the Uchiha compound came into view.

''Why do you think that?'' It hadn't crossed her mind because he was the one who had insisted on keeping it a secret to protect both her and Naruto from Minato's enemies.

''I wouldn't put it past him to do it,'' Naruto said. ''He is always thinking about what is good for us and Konoha. This revelation doesn't just do good for us, but for Konoha as well. It balances the question. I presume he figured that in time, I will learn to like the villagers as they learn to like us. Everyone is happy in the end.''

''That doesn't sound so bad at all, wouldn't you say?''

Naruto just shrugged. ''My happy day will be when I truly act to what I believe. What I have been facing now has been nothing. When that situation comes that I have to make a choice...''

The similar situation to the one where Itachi had to choose between his family and Konoha: Naruto wanted to find himself faced with a similar situation. He wanted to make that choice. Save his mother instead of Konoha. When he would make that choice, Naruto was sure that when that happens, he would feel truly alive.

The consequences could come after that. He would deal with them. He understood that there was always a reaction to an action. Naruto understood that very well.

The two reached their destination before Kushina could say anything further to Naruto. Mikoto was standing at the door frame with a warm smile on her face, as if she'd been waiting for them to come.

''Kushina-chan...'' Mikoto was happy to see her friend. ''It's been too long...'' she said as the two woman embraced. ''Too long...''

''Yea,'' Kushina said. ''Have you been well?''

''Yea,'' Mikoto said. ''Aside from being Head clan, there hasn't been anything else to do. The first year was tough with Sasuke and all. But things are okay now. How about you?''

''I have been well,'' Kushina said. ''The four years were good on us. We had lots of fun. Though, Jiraiya might have rubbed some of his perverseness on my son.''

''Well that is good, not the last part'' Mikoto said before kneeling down for Naruto. ''Hello, hero...'' she said warmly. She wanted to hug him, but Naruto shook his head.

The blond smiled at the older woman. He held up his right hand, Mikoto did the same, and the blond took it before he kissed it. ''It has been a while, Mikoto-san. I have missed your beautiful smile.''

''Oh, you're a gentleman, now?'' Mikoto said with a wide smile. ''Jiraiya taught them to you?''

''I just observed and it is apparently who you treat woman. Mother approves. I don't understand though. She has said I should always smile, but sometimes when I do this, she hits me...'' Naruto said, the confusion was apparent in his face.

Mikoto merely smiled at the boy and looked at Kushina. ''If he had the heart, he would be a lady's man. But because he is Naruto, you shouldn't worry too much.''

''I know, but I can't help it,'' Kushina said. ''Where is Sasuke?''

''Training ground...'' Mikoto said. ''At the back of the house,'' she said to Naruto.

Naruto had a frown on his face. This wasn't an ideal thing for him. He disliked the responsibility that had befallen on him, especially with the fact that there was this child. Yes, the young Uchiha may be slightly older than him by a month or less, but he had been the adult in their shot time together and the Uchiha had been frustratingly childish. Well, he had battered up the boy really good. He doubted the Uchiha would make any stupid moves in his presence.

Well, he had a lot to be thankful of because of Itachi. The Uchiha really had given him a lot. All the warnings and the slight change he had caused in his life. Although he wouldn't say it to anyone, Naruto had noticed that she was at most happy when she showed changes towards the ideal son.

Promises were promises: and so, Naruto removed the frown on his face when he saw the young Uchiha pummeling a dummy. He just stood there and held out his right hand. A crow flew onto it, and observed the Uchiha with its blood red eyes. It took a few more moments before the Uchiha turned towards Naruto.

Sasuke frowned when he saw Naruto. He wouldn't be wrong to say the blond had been a bully towards him. Sure he had been a bother, but he hadn't asked the blond to look after him and he hadn't asked his mother to do the same. He had things to deal with back then, but the blond didn't seem to care. He just wanted to smile at his beloved mother.

Sasuke could very well remember the day the blond had hit him with a frying pan and threatened to break his fingers. The memory was very fresh in his mind and he was sure that it wouldn't leave so soon. The blond had done a great damage that day.

He wondered though. After all the training he'd done, would the blond still do it again?

''What do you want?''

Naruto acted as if he didn't hear Sasuke. He looked at the crow on his right hand, and nodded. The crow flew away silently and Naruto stared at its back until it disappeared. Once it had disappeared, the blond looked back at Sasuke.

''Hostile, little Sasuke,'' Naruto said with a blank look on his face. ''Have you stopped being a jealous little boy and grown into something that won't give me the urges to smash my fist into your face?''

''Yea,'' Sasuke said sarcastically, but then grinned. ''I'd like to see you try that. I give no guarantees that I won't hit back though.''

He has trained a lot, and has been working tirelessly. Hell, he was told the next year would be his last. He had no peers in the in the academy. They all bowed before Uchiha Sasuke: well not literally, but they all knew that he was the best and no one tried anything funny. He had been told that no one his age could best him and he believed so.

Naruto tilted his head to the side, then shook his head with a frown on his face. ''Arrogance. Don't worry, I will wipe that grin off your face,'' the blond said. ''Even I know that despite my wishes, I can't defeat everyone and know my limits. Despite the fact that I can be somewhat narrow-minded.''

Sasuke didn't lose his grin, despite those eyes looking down at him and that condescending tone. ''If you think you're better, why don't you come closer and prove it to me? I haven't been just lying around all these years.''

''I have no desire for pointless scuffles,'' Naruto said with a shrug. ''When you come back tomorrow from the academy come to the Senju compound. I will be waiting for you. You're in need of some wiring.'' He turned around to walk away.

''No,'' Sasuke said. ''I don't need your help.''

''I wasn't asking you: I'm telling you. Be present or I will look for you and drag you all the way by your hair,'' Naruto said before adding. ''Your hands and feet will be bound so that you don't kick out or try to scratch me like a cat. But I will leave your mouth as it is so that you can scream all you want.''

Sasuke had a comeback for that. He hadn't been just training only. He has been learning too and his mother had filled up on most things. ''I doubt the villagers would allow you to do that. You may be the Yondaime's son, but as it stands, they don't like you and they see him as the Uchiha's prince.''

''So you have learned to talk back... That's interesting... But I have one question: when did I start fearing the villagers and when did I start caring about what they think? Make it questions."

Having said that, Naruto disappeared from the training ground. He went back to the house. His mother was still busy with Mikoto. Looking at her, Naruto couldn't help but smile seeing how happy she seemed being with her friend once more. It was the happiness he saw in her that made saying what he was about to say a lot easier.

''Mother,'' Naruto called out his mother.

''You done already with Sasuke-kun?'' Kushina asked with a raised brow.

Naruto nodded. ''We will 'bond' from tomorrow,'' the blond said. The way he said 'bond' didn't make Kushina very happy, but she didn't comment on it. ''I will go ahead. I need to see Ino before returning to the house. I'm sure you'll do the shopping with Mikoto.''

''It's okay,'' she said smiling. ''So you really do miss that girl.''

Naruto nodded. ''As much as I never wished to admit it, yes I do,'' he said.

''Go ahead,'' Kushina said, but then looked curiously. ''When did you start calling her Mikoto? It sounds too informal like you're buddies.''

 **Yamanaka Flower Shop**

Life was truly a mysterious thing. Being alive meant being able to experience so many things: both pleasant and unpleasant. There were a lot of emotions that went along the lines when one was living. Naruto never thought that he would ever feel some of the things he now felt. The only thing he'd told himself that he would feel was the love for his mother and that had been it and nothing more nothing less.

Yet, here he was. The emotions confused him at times. Such that sometimes he chose not to think about them because at the end of the day, only one thing mattered and that was the health of his mother. Other things came second best. Nevertheless, it didn't mean that he didn't feel any of those other things.

Perhaps it was the reason he was truly looking forward to the day he would be forced to make a choice as Itachi was forced to make.

Looking around the flower shop, Naruto couldn't help but form a tiny smile. He had missed the fresh air that filled up the beautiful shop. Perhaps it was because this breath was just full of nature other than the breath being intoxicated by the monkeys outside.

''Naruto...?''

Ino said, looking at the blond haired with a questioning look on her face. Perhaps she wasn't really sure that it was him. She hadn't been told that he would be returning to the village. If she had known, she would have waited at the gates and even skip classes to see her him. She had missed her beloved black knight after all. Though, she wouldn't admit it to anyone but the blond himself.

Looking at him... He had grown tall. His hair had grown long as well, framing both sides of his face and he was wearing a white cloak that just spelled nobility.

''Hello Ino,'' Naruto said in quiet tone, his lips twitched into a smile.

''Naruto!'' Ino dropped whatever that she was holding and ran up to the blond. She pulled him into a tight hug. The fact that Naruto just stood there slipped her mind as she was too overjoyed to see her knight.

''I missed you. Do you know how many times I wished I could write to you or just even see that blank expression of yours?'' The blonde girl said, now staring at Naruto's eyes.

So apparently, when you really miss someone, you miss even those things that annoy you. ''It couldn't be helped. I was a bit too far away,'' Naruto said with a shrug. ''You've grown well.''

''I'm glad you noticed,'' Ino said with a grin. ''Can't you show some excitement? Don't tell me your mother forced you to come here...'' she frowned. ''Is it that you didn't miss you as well?''

''Maybe,'' Naruto said just to get a reaction from Ino. Then smiled, slightly. ''Just kidding. Although I find your loud voice to be annoying at times and your attempts to blackmail me, I did think about you.''

Ino beamed, ''I'd have smacked you if it was otherwise,'' she said firmly, holding out his right fist, just to show that she was indeed serious about punching him if things hadn't gone her way.

''I'd just come to let you know I have returned...'' Naruto said. ''I'll see you around...''

Ino grabbed his hand to stop him from leaving. ''You just got here. You can't leave like that,'' she said. ''You have to fill me in on how your time was outside the village. Four long years of experiences. I want to know.''

Naruto sighed. ''That can be done some other times.''

Ino ignored Naruto and turned around before calling. ''Mom, I'm going out!'' She didn't wait for a response before pulling Naruto out of the flower shop. ''You're going to tell me everything over a meal.''

''You're buying,'' Naruto said.

Yes, he was deadly serious about that. Not because he didn't want to pay, but because he didn't have any money with him.

Well, it was good to see the girl was still the same: forward as always. That was good. Naruto disliked people who came in behind him after all. Anyone who came straight at him was welcomed. He would offer the same courtesy as well.

Naruto allowed himself to be pulled away, thinking about other things: like what he was going to be doing from now on. He refused to go back to the academy. It would be a waste of his valuable time and effort. Well, training would do and some good, peaceful time with his beloved mother.

But that could be put into threat. Jiraiya had said that he would become a fine shinobi of Konoha. That meant that he couldn't just stroll around the village. They would make a shinobi.

Well that couldn't be helped. Naruto reasoned that if they say he become one of Konoha, he would abide, not because he so loved Konoha, but because serving Konoha would make his mother's life much better.

 **Later**

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still inside his office, working through some things. There was always something that had to be done with being Hokage. But overall, over the past years, things have been going smoothly. Well, as smooth as they could since this was the shinobi world. Nothing ever settled for too long. Someone was always thinking about doing something. You could never to be sure about anything.

The day didn't have too many headaches. The Sandaime was just glad that Naruto had returned to this village that his father had given his life to protect. Looking at the report, he couldn't help but be pleased that the day had gone as he would have expected.

Just a little longer and the villagers would be more than happy to smile at young Naruto.

''Reading something good?'' Jiraiya said as he popped up in the office in a cloud of smoke.

The Sandaime Hokage nodded. ''You can say that,'' he said leaning against his chair. ''Things have started well. But nothing will ever change if Naruto remains as he is. He will refuse to go back to the academy, and Kushina won't force things out because of his blossoming relationship with Inoichi's daughter and there is Sasuke-kun.''

That really gave the Sandaime too many questions and he didn't like the answers at all. Obviously, Naruto wasn't fond of Sasuke. That was obvious even to the blind. But the blond still went out his way to 'help' the young Uchiha. The Sandaime believed that it had something to do with Itachi. The Uchiha had helped Naruto a lot. The possibility could be that Naruto was merely doing it as a favor or that Itachi had asked Naruto.

The latter possibility opened a door that led to the realization that Naruto might know about Itachi's mission.

''He has also made some friends in Suna,'' Jiraiya said. ''So in terms of friends he isn't lacking. The emotional attachment is questionable though. He doesn't invest much emotion in other people besides his mother.''

''Naturally,'' the Sandaime said. ''But that will eventually change. I told you didn't I? I just have to move the pieces accordingly and Naruto will eventually grow attached to someone. He is still very young, and has yet to understand all his emotions. As he grows with these people, he will to like them.''

Jiraiya nodded. He had seen it outside Konoha. The blond didn't have problem with anyone. Perhaps it was Konoha that was the problem. This village has been nothing but a pain to him.

''What about how the villagers view him? You said it yourself, if things remain as they are, nothing will change.''

The Sandaime smiled. ''I have a solution for that,'' he said, taking out a headband from one his drawers. ''This is Naruto's. He will become a shinobi of Konoha when others graduate. For now, he will have to to do something, serve the village... Even if he doesn't grow to love this village, working for it will make him feel a sense of duty towards it.''

''You mean you want to have him join Anbu?'' Jiraiya asked with a frown. ''He isn't nearly good enough for it. But he can manage. Although I don't want to admit it, he is much more suitable for it.''

The Sandaime nodded. ''We have to keep him out of the light for now. Anbu will help grow stronger than he is. Given what is coming ahead, there is no other choice.''

''You will have to that through Kushina...''

The Sandaime nodded. ''I will explain things to her. She has to know the threat that is after her son. Minato had many enemies. You can't always be there 24/7. He has to protect himself and his mother. She won't like that, but for their survival, this has to be done.'' The Third, going to another matter. ''I have had some nations throwing in their daughters at Naruto.''

''Lucky brat,'' Jiraiya said in thought.

At that moment, Danzo walked into the office. As usual, the man didn't bother knocking. The Sandaime sighed. Not this, he thought.

''I was wondering when you'd come,'' the Third said to Danzo. ''Let's hear it.''

''I'd like to know how the boy has improved over the past four years. With the revelation of his heritage, he is no longer just a weapon but if used correctly, he can become a powerful political tool.''

''You can go home if that is what you came to enquire about,'' the Sandaime said in a flat tone. ''If you get anywhere near Naruto, I will have your head hanged at the Hokage Monument, Danzo.''

 **End of chapter 7**

 **That took long, but I think I managed to draw it out pretty well.**

 **Thanks to everyone who gave their response to chapter six. I did have some difficulty in writing that as I struggle massively in trying to connect my characters.**

 **What's left? Nothing comes to mind…**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

''Ah,'' Naruto stretched himself up, standing at the back of his house, enjoying the light sunrays of the morning. It had been a long time since he had woken up like this in the morning. Over the past, he'd been waking up on a schedule, for training purposes. There was even a cup of tea on his right hand.

''Someone is enjoying the morning,'' Kakashi said, sitting at a branch on the tree behind the house. ''Your mother still sleeping?''

''Possibly,'' Naruto said with a shrug, as if he didn't care about it. But Kakashi couldn't be fooled. ''What brings you here at a time like this? As far as I remember, you're not a morning person when you're not in duty.''

Kakashi put on a look, ''what? Can't I miss my little friend enough to visit him this morning to show him that I really do miss him?''

Naruto gave the Sharingan user a look of his own. He wasn't going to be fooled by the man. He knew Kakashi well enough. The man may be care about him, but it wasn't enough that he would wake up so early just to see him. He might have just returned yesterday, and didn't see the man, but there had to be something that made the man come here at this time.

Kakashi sighed. ''Sometimes you're no fun,'' he said quietly. ''I just returned to the village from a mission. When I heard that you'd returned, I came here and waited for you.''

''That is something that I'm willing to believe,'' Naruto said. He paused to take a sip of his tea before looking up at the Sharingan user once again. ''It has been a few months. How has your return to Anbu been... is it killing you, yet?''

Since the Sandaime had the man return to Anbu the man buried himself with Anbu work and it was surprising how he was still able to continue after so long. Naruto had heard stories about the man forgoing all things in life just to focus on his work as an Anbu: friends and the like had stopped mattering. Well, that was the past. Kakashi had changed, but was still working the sweat out of his body in his role as an Anbu operative.

No many were suited for the job. Itachi fit in well because of his usual stoic mask and personality. The man wasn't shy to do dirty work in order to get the job done for Konoha. The man in front of him was fine Anbu as well. But he was still a different person from the Uchiha.

''Not yet, but soon enough especially with the Sandaime refusing to allow me to retire once again,'' Kakashi said tiredly. ''But by the end of this year, I will have retired my mask for good and become a Jonin once again and do normal missions.''

''Living in the light, huh?'' Naruto said. Personally, he had no desire for any of that. The only light he wished to live in was the light of his mother. Nothing else mattered aside from her.

Still, with how things were and how he was seeing things, he was going to be forced into the journey of a Konoha shinobi. To think that he would end up serving those monkeys... Despicable. Naruto was looking for a better reason that wouldn't make him feel dirty about doing anything for Konoha has its shinobi. Well, it was the license to living here. If he did not pay that price, he could never be free in here and his mother would pay for that choice.

Well, there he had it. The perfect excuse.

''Yea,'' Kakashi said with a nod. ''Perhaps I will become your sensei when you become Genin,' the man said with an eye smile.

Naruto cocked his head to the side, appearing to think for a moment. ''That may happen. Knowing the Sandaime. I wouldn't bet against it,'' he nodded to himself. ''Yes, that will happen. Well, I hope you become a good sensei, Kakashi. I would be disappointed if your tardiness got in the way of what is important.''

Kakashi ignored that for a moment, and looked at Naruto curiously. ''How are you so sure that the Sandaime will push me into becoming your sensei?''

Naruto gave Kakashi a look that clearly questioned if the man was being rhetoric. The answer was clear as daylight. There was nothing hidden there. Even a dumb person could figure this out.

When Kakashi just stared, Naruto sighed. ''The Sandaime is somewhat predictable. I can say that I know who my teammates will be when I'm forced to wear the headband. Of course you'd be the obvious choice to lead that team, to have that familiar face and strengthen the existing bonds.''

Kakashi shook his head. ''This is the first time that I hear someone say the Sandaime is predictable. He is nothing but that to me... He is called the professor.''

''It's simple really. Jiraiya is like him, but wouldn't do anything extreme. The old man doesn't have such fears. People may think he is just an old man, but what the things he cooks up in his mind would surprise many. It doesn't surprise me because I expect him to come up with his plots,'' Naruto explained lightly.

Once again, Kakashi shook his head. The relationship between Naruto and the Sandaime was really a complex one. He couldn't really understand how the two even got along. They obviously did care for one another, but what they did to each other was just something else.

''You might end up joining Anbu,'' Kakashi said to the blond. ''I just heard it from the Anbu HQ. It seems that the Sandaime has been planning this for some time.''

Naruto sat down, looking thoughtful. It wasn't because he was shocked or surprised – he had seen this coming a mile away. Itachi had once thrown this to his face some time ago and he'd rejected it. But now it seemed that he was going to be forced to join. Well, that was what he had been thinking anyway.

''Anbu, huh?'' Naruto said, looking up for a moment. ''I'm about to become a secret. Everything I do from now on will be kept as an S-rank secret as well as my true abilities. Oh well, If this is the price I must pay for mother to be treated well in this village and for us to enjoy the safety of this village, I will offer my strength.''

There was nothing that showed he disliked the idea. Just the usual blank expression on his face. It was the same expression he showed when someone was using his mother against him.

''We might work together before I retire,'' Kakashi said with an eye smile. ''Tell me, Naruto, why do you think of this as a price you must pay?''

''Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't join the Anbu or even serve Konoha. But the Sandaime Hokage will not live forever and I'm afraid If I don't 'bend' now, things will be difficult if another succeeds him. Jiraiya has also used some emotional blackmail to get me to see that if I become an excellent shinobi of Konoha, mother will be eventually treated well in the village,'' Naruto explained.

Kakashi tilted his head to the side: Naruto didn't seem pissed off that Jiraiya had blackmailed him. ''Doesn't it bother you they use your mother against you to get you to do certain things?''

Naruto stared at Kakashi for a moment. ''Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't,'' the blond said with a shrug. ''Mother always comes first. I will accept anything if it will make her happy and doesn't endanger her life. It would be unforgivable if she was being put in danger.''

So he was just tolerating it because in the end, it worked better for his mother, Kakashi thought. ''I will talk to you some other time... Need rest,'' the Anbu said. Something seemed to click on his mind. ''Oh, the Sandaime wishes to speak with you...''

''At this time?'' Naruto asked. He had plenty of time. It wasn't like he was suddenly going to disappear from the village.

Well, that couldn't be so much of a bad idea. If he disappeared from the Elemental Nations, they could start anew. There were other nations outside the Elemental Nations that did not know things that occurred around the blood shinobi world. They could be safe from all things concerning shinobi and those who would wish to have the beast sealed in him wouldn't know where to find him. It was a thought Naruto put at the back of his head before focusing on Kakashi once again.

Kakashi just shrugged. ''He didn't say,'' he said. ''Greet your mother for me,'' having said that, the Anbu disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto looked up into the sky: he frowned. He didn't know what this day was going to bring. Things didn't always end up the way he wanted for them while he was inside this village hidden in monkeys. The blond shook his head. He really had to stop looking at things like that. The villagers were vermin, but if he kept it like this, he would certainly stop valuing all life forms. It would be okay if it was just Konoha. The vermin meant nothing to him.

He had to prepare for a meeting with the Sandaime though. It would clear up some things for him and he would see how he was about to go with his from now on. With that in mind, Naruto turned towards the house.

As he went back into the house, he came across his sleepy mother - who was yawning tiredly. ''Good morning Naruto,'' Kushina said, now rubbing her eyes to look clearly at her son.

''Mother,'' Naruto smiled. ''Mornings are still not your favorites, huh?''

''Yea,'' Kushina said. ''But I was also worried. Didn't get much sleep last night.''

''Should we sit?'' Naruto asked, wanting to help his mother if he could. ''I'm feeling rather energetic and I have to meet up with the old man. It would be best we clear out all worries before we engage the day.''

Naruto led his mother towards the kitchen and helped her take a seat. He went on to prepare tea and once ready, he brought it back to her and then sat down across her beside the kitchen table.

''We're back in Konoha. This village that has been a pain to both of us. Your father sacrificed everything for this village. He isn't part of our lives because he chose to sacrifice himself. Some call it noble to die for something you cherish,'' Kushina paused for a moment, looking at Naruto sadly. ''You'd follow the same path, wouldn't you? Die for your mother...''

Naruto gave a firm nod. ''If it means protecting you, yes,'' Naruto said as firmly as his nod was.

''That saddens me, son,'' Kushina said in a low tone.

Parents were supposed to be the ones to die for their children. They were supposed to be the ones to put their children's lives above all things – not the other way around. How could she correct this? Naruto was her precious son, her precious love. She wanted him to live his life as any child would. She realized some things he wouldn't do, but there were changes and he could be steered into the right and happy path.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. He didn't say anything - just looked at his mother questionably.

''If you die, who will I be left with? Who will protect me? I have lost my family, Minato... You're the only one I have now... If you die, what will be left of me?''

The answer was an unpleasant beast that stared at Naruto with a cold breath. Naruto almost felt disgusted with himself that he would choose to die for his mother. It was the same for him. His mother was his only family. He couldn't lose her. He had been looking at this from one angle. The truth was that they couldn't afford to lose each other. Especially his beloved mother. What would become of her if she lost him too?

A broken woman.

Naruto felt tormented that his actions could lead to such a reality. He remembered the days he used to console her when she was crying. Who would console her if he died? Who would be there for her. Stupid him. It was unacceptable for his beloved mother to be forced to go through the pain of losing him.

It was even worse when the good devil whispered into the back of his head that she would be even so tormented as she would blame herself for his death. She was the mother. Her job was to love and protect him. She had said that to him before. He remembered those words she'd said firmly.

''It was us against the world back in those days,'' Kushina continued, still in a low tone. ''I'm your mother, Naruto. I carried you in my belly for months. You cannot die before me. I want both of us to grow old, in this village. I want us to relive these moments in the future. I don't want you to sacrifice your life. I want you to value it as your value mine. Your life is precious to me, and I want to protect it will all my strength, will you help me do that, Naruto?''

Could he? Yes, it was possible. He could do it. He could protect both his and his mother's life. He wasn't alone in protecting his life after all. He had the Kyuubi within him. If he died, the Bijuu would die as well. It was possible.

''Yes, mother. My life will have a meaning from now on. It will be precious as you're precious as well,'' he fell short of saying that her life would still be much more precious than his.

Kushina smiled slightly. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. ''Do you know what a relationship is Naruto?''

Naruto put on a thoughtful look on his face. He'd never gone as far as to put that into thought. Relationships were things that he didn't think about. The only relationship that mattered was that of him and his mother. There was no need to understand it; he just had to do what was right by his mother.

''It's not a relationship when one party only does the loving, its slavery. A relationship is formed by two or more. All parties must give out something, they must make an effort, and they must all sacrifice if there is the need. It's not a relationship if only one party sacrifices.

I am your mother, and you are my son: we have that relationship. I must love you and you must love me as well for all that to work out. We must understand each other in order for us to live a long and happy life. We must all do our part in the relationship... Do you understand where I am going with this, Naruto?''

''I understand,'' Naruto said before falling silent. ''Mother...''

''Yes?''

''I cannot stand the thought of seeing you miserable. I can't. But it makes me truly happy when you smile. It pleases me when I see you laughing with Mikoto. I want my mother to be happy. If you were to stop smiling, I would investigate the cause, and I would fix it... Is this the same for you?''

Kushina nodded. ''I know you want me happy. This is why I have a friend, why I still believe in that things will change. I have hope and it is the hope that you will enjoy your life eventually, but what is the point of me hoping, if you have lost hope and put no effort?''

It was just as she was saying. Both had their parts to play. If both hoped, things would change. It was conflicting. But Naruto wanted to do something that would bring joy not just to his mother, but to him.

Naruto gave his mother a sad smile. ''I have not been sincere, mother,'' he said quietly. ''Hope is one thing you have taught me never to lose, but I don't know if I have been sincere in trying. The reasons have been that I have to try, for your sake. But that isn't what you wish for me, isn't it?''

Kushina was happy. Truly happy that Naruto was actually willing to admit that to her. Perhaps she should be surprised that he was able to keep that for too long. Nevertheless, this sharing was just a pleasant change.

''I want you to be happy for you,'' Kushina stressed those words. ''If you're truly happy, then I will be happy as well. Every parent wants to see their children grow up happily. This kind of talk might be a little big for you, but I want you to enjoy a relationship I once enjoyed with Minato. You will know the meaning of love then...''

''Forgive me mother. Despite telling Temari otherwise, my happiness hasn't been an agenda. I don't think I have actually tried by all means to be happy. I did just enough, just so you could see I was trying,'' Naruto clenched his fists. His sad smile deepened slightly. ''Forgive me, mother. I have been a hypocrite despite saying I hate it.''

''It's all right, Naruto. You're still young. I don't expect you to get everything right,'' Kushina said softly. ''It is us against the world. But we must not allow these people and the situation we are in to dictate everything for us. We are strong, we are Uzumaki and we have each other. We can be happy even if the world hates us!''

Naruto smiled at his mother. He could feel the passion within her voice and in her eyes. How could he betray that? He had to give it his all. ''We can make it mother. We can and we will.''

Kushina nodded with a large smile. ''You're not doing badly though. You have Ino, Temari and Gaara. The latter two are a bit far away though...'' she paused for a moment to think. ''Weren't you friends with Shikaku's son? Ino isn't enough and she is a girl...''

One friend wasn't enough. To truly enjoy his life, he would have to have more than one friend. Kushina was still sure that it was possible for Naruto to make friends. It was still not too late for things to take a new turn. Kushina was given encouragement because of the changes in her son's life.

''I was just familiar with him. He was okay,'' Naruto said, and then looked at his mother confusedly. ''Mother, you pushed me towards Ino... and now she can't even leave my back... What do you mean she is a girl? I'm aware of that.''

Kushina shook her head. Although Naruto's treatment of women could make him good with them, he still failed in that kind of environment. Mikoto was right, she really had nothing to worry about with her son becoming like Jiraiya. On another matter, that statement from her son clearly told her that Naruto saw boys and girls in the same line. He didn't see the latter as the opposite sex. That was something to worry about.

''It's nothing,'' Kushina said with a wave of her right hand. Naruto didn't seem satisfied, but he didn't question his mother. ''What I'm trying to say is that you're not lost. You have friends and you have changed a little. I just wish your treatment of Sasuke would improve though...''

Naruto's sigh wasn't the kind of response Kushina was looking forward to, but his words made up for it. ''Not now, but it will eventually. The past four years have taught me that nothing can remain the same. I'm changing in a way I never thought possible. But I will not ease up on him if continues to act like a spoiled brat.''

''I can live with that,'' Kushina with a clap of her hands. ''But it would make both Mikoto and I happy if you two got along. You're her hero, you don't want to disappoint her do you?''

Naruto's raised eye brow said it all.

Kushina just laughed and put on an innocent look on her face. ''Hey, you let other people do it, why not your own beloved mother?''

''I merely tolerate it because it works better for me,'' Naruto said with a shrug. ''With the Sandaime Hokage, it's a game. I like playing it with him because I know he cares and if I do it to him, he won't complain.''

The Sandaime was in Kushina's mind, the other person Naruto truly cared for. If there was space for someone inside his heart, it wasn't for Ino or Temari, but for that old man. Kushina really hoped that nothing bad happens to him because she was certain - that although Naruto would never admit it - he would be broken if that happens.

''What will you be doing from now on?''

''It will depend on the old man,'' Naruto said quietly. ''I don't have much control here,'' the bitter tone was a clear indication that he didn't like that thought. ''But I'm sure with the Sandaime, it will be something acceptable. I refuse to go back to the Academy though.''

''Wouldn't expect you to return,'' Kushina said with a nod. ''Why don't you go shower while I fix us breakfast? I have things to do with Mikoto before noon. While you play your bonding game with the old man, I will be with her.''

Naruto nodded, ''Lunch at Icharuku?''

Kushina grinned. ''Naturally.''

 **Hokage Office**

The Sandaime Hokage smiled when Naruto impassively walked into his office: he'd been expecting the boy to show up. He had surely missed seeing the boy on a regular basis these past four years. He was really happy that he would be able to see the boy regularly once again. Naruto was Konoha's hero, even though the villagers may try to deny that. He was also Minato's son and the boy he'd grown to love as his own family. The feeling was surely not misplaced on some random kid who didn't know anything.

''I have been waiting for you,'' the Third said, pushing aside his paperwork. It could wait. His meeting with Naruto was far more important at this time. ''Would you like to play a game of Shogi? I believe you know the rules and have played it with Nara Shikamaru.''

Naruto looked at the Third Hokage curiously – the curiosity was only reflected on his eyes. He seemed to ponder about it for a short while before nodding. ''Why not?''

He disliked losing, but there was no shame in losing to a genius in the form of a Nara. The Sandaime Hokage was also not someone he could beat straight on. So defeat was guaranteed. When he played with Shikamaru, he could win a game depending on how he played it. But the Sandaime was a different matter. The man wasn't just called the professor for nothing.

The Sandaime Hokage stood up from his chair and spoke. ''Follow me,'' he said quietly.

Naruto obliged without saying anything. He just followed the Third into the room that was next door. It was an empty room, with a small podium. Naruto realized it must be the room the Sandaime holds some meetings with a few people, or the one used when he was assigning missions. The old man wasn't always in the office.

Within the room there were two cushions put facing a Shogi board. As the Sandaime sat down, motioning for Naruto to do the same, he spoke. ''I had this prepared earlier.''

Naruto simply nodded and looked down at the pieces at this disposal. ''It is rather good for keeping the mind sharp and building up strategy,'' the blond said as the game begun.

Hiruzen nodded. ''The mind needs to be kept sharp at all times. It isn't always power that saves us from trouble at times, but it is our ability to think. A sharp mind puts an edge even to a weak man.''

''You possessed both,'' Naruto said, moving a piece.

''And that is what made me go beyond the limits of men and ascend to my title as the God of Shinobi despite not having any special bloodlines. My power came from my mind. Without this,'' the Sandaime said, poking at his head. ''I wouldn't have become what I became.''

''The mind is the warrior, huh?'' Naruto paused, his eyes never leaving the board. ''My mind has always been used effectively. I'm no genius, but I know how to think and move things within my head. Perhaps the fault in me is that I'm somewhat narrow minded.''

''It isn't possibly, that is the reality. Your attitude is flawed,'' the Sandaime stressed as he looked at Naruto for a moment. The blond wasn't attacking him. He was merely just moving the pieces, trying to dare him to make a move. ''Listen carefully, Naruto. The sharpness of your mind can be dulled by our emotions. When emotions run high, the mind loses its urge and you no longer logically and rationally.''

''I'm mostly controlled.''

''Mostly,'' The Sandaime said, ''but when it comes to your mother things changes. You cannot afford to reach a point where you cannot use your mind, Naruto. I'm not saying emotions are bad. They are actually a good thing – They power up our resolves and will. But when you allow them to run wild without control, they mess you up.''

Naruto stared at the board as the Sandaime took his piece. So much for baiting, he thought.

''If you want to bait someone successfully, they must not know they are being baited. And if they do know, you must have removed all options for them and ensure that you're playing in your background,'' the Sandaime Hokage said..

''Lesson over then,'' Naruto said, moving a piece in preparation for a change of tactics.

''Jiraiya tells me you enjoyed yourself outside of Konoha and have improved a lot,'' he paused, to look at Naruto, who was staring back at him. The Sandaime just smiled. ''Was it refreshing?''

Naruto nodded. ''More so than I thought it would,'' he shook his head to correct himself. ''It was unlike anything. I hadn't thought I'd enjoy myself. I was merely thinking of some peace and continue with my training undisturbed.''

''So you gained more than you thought, huh?'' Hiruzen said. ''That is the beauty of life. Nothing is ever as it seems.''

''Aren't you a prime example of it?''

The Sandaime laughed, ''Perhaps,'' he said. ''I'm sure Jiraiya has explained things to you. Given the changes, we must make for a way forward that will be profitable for both parties. With the way things are at this moment, we cannot simply continue as we had been.''

''As expected... But?''

''I have a question,'' Hiruzen said. He stared at Naruto - who didn't look back. ''You're not fond of him, but you go your way to teach him. It is as if you're looking after him. Why do you do it, Naruto?'' The Third just fell short of asking if Itachi had asked him to look after his younger brother.

Naruto looked at the Sandaime for a moment. ''Defense is at its absolute when you remain in one position. But when you move out to attack, you open yourself to attack. It's like giving your heart to someone else - you open up a door for pain,'' having said that, Naruto took one of the Sandaime's piece. As he waited for the Sandaime to make his move, he spoke once again, on a different matter.

''I have often wondered why people do certain things and that leads me to a concept of justice. Yet, I still question what justice truly is: what constitute justice? Who has the power to carry out justice? What Konoha has been doing is injustice, yet I'm not concerned too deep to turn it into justice. There are so many questions: why do people do what they do? Why do they kill? Is it wrong to kill? Is it wrong to kill following your ideals?''

Although Naruto hadn't outright said it, the Sandaime was sure this had to deal with Itachi's actions and how he should react to Konoha's injustice. At the same time, The Sandaime was led to believe that although Naruto saw the injustice, he wasn't an idealist who believed in justice that he would try to correct things.

The fact remained glaring though: Naruto hadn't answered his question.

''Justice is a very complex concept,'' the Sandaime said. He was willing to go that far, not any further as it would deviate from his question. ''People kill for different reasons: both good and bad. Before we can even answer if it is wrong to kill for ones ideals, we must first understand if those ideals are good or bad. One thing is a fact though; death has become part of a shinobi life. My own hands have killed to protect what I love. I regret having to end a life, but I still believe that I have made the right choice to protect what I love.''

''A pawn is a pawn until it is promoted,'' Naruto said quietly. ''A king will always take one step, regardless of the circumstances. Death is death. For good or bad reasons, death is death. It doesn't matter if one was evil or good, but when someone dies, someone is saddened by that death. There is always pain, grief, and hatred after death. Doesn't matter which side.''

The Sandaime Hokage laughed. Naruto had said some serious things and he was truly correct in what he was saying. The boy was truly a rare breed. What amused the Third was that although the blond was saying it, he didn't follow that thought. He was merely stating things his eyes thought.

The Third shook his head: that was what a part of Naruto believed, but his love of his mother couldn't be compared to beliefs, rationality and logic - it exceeded all that.

''If the mother factor wasn't there, you'd become a great leader and someone who could teach this amoral world what is right,'' The Third said in an honest tone. ''But in your current state: when it comes to your mother, nothing else matters.''

''Morals are merely a luxurious 'commodity,''' Naruto said.

''I wonder what Kushina would say if her son became an amoral shinobi...'' the Sandaime said purposefully in thought... His eyes firmly at Naruto. If he was expecting a physical reaction from the blond, he didn't get it.

''It is that part of the game, huh?'' Naruto said his eyes at his bleeding pawns. ''Mother is so kind hearted. She does have her moments, but she is pure in the heart. I wouldn't want to defile her purity in any way... However, I will do what I must. Itachi and I shared a principle...''

That just confirmed it. Even without the blond didn't say it and the Sandaime was sure even if he asked, Naruto would either ignore him or deny everything. The blond hated people who didn't come straight at him, but when they were together, he surely didn't mind the mask games. Well, he wasn't going to complain. It was always interesting and he did learn a few things.

''That is what made the two of you get along just fine...'' the Sandaime said with a smile. Well, this was just perfect. Itachi would become a piece in the puzzle. Yes, the Uchiha would be of use in this little game he was playing with Naruto.

The Sandaime allowed silence to lock over for a few moments as he went on within his mind on how he was going to go about the business of the day. Sarutobi steeled himself. ''You will join Anbu, as an Anbu trainee. I have made all the arrangements. You will not join Kakashi, but will Join a different squad.''

''I will refuse to be moved if there is no Anbu watching over my mother while she is outside our house,'' Naruto said.

The Sandaime raised an eye brow. ''Why only out of the house?''

''It is a fortress. This whole village can burn to the ground, but that house will remain standing. No trespassers can go through when the security is activated,'' Naruto explained lightly.

The Sandaime merely nodded. ''Do you understand what you're asking me Naruto?''

''Uzumaki Kushina was the Yondaime's wife and is the mother to the boy who can become a great asset to this village. My efforts will depend on the security placed on my mother as well as my cooperation.''

Sarutobi was silent for a few moments before he finally sighed and nodded. ''I will make arrangements.''

''They should be done by the end of the day,'' Naruto said as if he was giving the old man an order. ''Will we still be able to continue with our training?''

The Third nodded. ''Yes,'' he said.

Naruto smiled. ''Excellent: I look forward to it,'' he said lightly.

Hiruzen nodded. Spending time with Naruto in the training grounds was always a good occasion. ''The Feudal Lord was a great admirer of your father. He now wishes to see the son of the man who was not only a hero to Konoha but to the Fire Nation.''

Naruto looked at the Sandaime with a blank look on his face, his smile all but gone. ''Am I to be used as a political tool?''

''I'd assume he wishes to do so,'' The Sandaime said, seeing no reason to hide anything.

Naruto smiled. ''This can work for me,'' he said more to himself than to the Sandaime. But the old man heard and smiled as well. ''I haven't played diplomatic in a long time. But I'm sure your lessons will become to use.''

''Be careful. He is not the feudal lord by being stupid...''

''Naturally,'' Naruto said. ''Then?''

''I was hoping to use the opportunity to organize a bigger budget for Konoha and some favorable terms,'' the old man said with a smile. ''As long as you impress him, my end should be smooth.''

''It appears that I will become an important person,'' Naruto said in thought. ''I never thought of things this way, but I can make my life and my mother's much simpler. When do we go?''

''I will inform you,'' Hiruzen said. ''Your engagement with Temari will be made public. This will push away potential suitors who have been thrown into your hands, and strengthen your status as an important person. You have the backing of both Konoha and Sunagakure.''

Since the Sandaime spoke the good on his side, Naruto decided to say the good on the Third's side. ''This will only strengthen Konoha and Suna's relationship. If the arrangement had been kept a secret, it could be easily scrapped and 'forgotten', but making it public will mean that it will become difficult for either side to betray the other as the Elemental Nations will be following. Did you propose this so that you can get more witnesses who will support you and threaten Suna in case the Kazekage has second ideas?''

Sarutobi smiled innocently, ''You think too highly of me, Naruto-kun,'' he said.

Naruto shook his head. ''You've just effectively limited the Kazekage's moves and gave him the unwelcomed hand that says your future is in my hands,'' the blond said quietly. ''The game is over: you win.''

''On the board, yes,'' the Sandaime said. ''But we both gained something. I'd say it's a win win for both of us,'' he paused for a moment. ''Lunch at Ichiraku?''

''You're welcome to join. I will be there with mother,'' Naruto said standing up.

''All the better,'' the Sandaime said, standing up as well. He had to return to his office and get some work done. He'd consumed some time being here. But it hadn't been wasted.

''I'll see you then. Perhaps mother can chew you for pushing me towards Anbu...'' the blond said walking away from the Sandaime Hokage.

Hiruzen suppressed the urge to shiver as those words left Naruto's mouth. He comforted himself in the fact that Kushina would understand. Otherwise that woman would definitely chew him to bits as Naruto said.

When he returned to the office, he found his former student sitting at the window frame, with somewhat of a forlorn look on his face. The Sandaime Hokage sighed and went behind his desk. Once he was comfortable on his chair, he spoke to the Sannin.

''Something bothering you, Jiraiya?''

Jiraiya kept quiet for a few moments as if he hadn't heard the Third's voice. The man then looked at his former sensei with his usual look. The faraway look now a memory. ''I'm just thinking about Tsunade, and Orochimaru.''

The Professor leaned back to his chair. How long has it been since he last spoke to those two? Orochimaru was the worst. His beloved foolish student. He had certainly loved and favored the wayward Sannin during their times. And yet he turned to that dark path to become the enemy of Konoha. And he had been too weak to do anything when he was faced with the truth. Well, he was certainly not going to make the same mistake twice.

Tsunade had just left and he had tried once to get her back. But she was stubborn and he allowed her to do as she pleased. Konoha was still faced with challenges, she was nowhere to be seen. It was disappointing. Hashirama would certainly be disappointed to see what had become of his grandchild.

''I see,'' the Third said in a low tone. ''What brought that up?''

''I was just reminiscing the good old days when I was the idiot and Orochimaru was the genius,'' the Sannin said. ''Well he is still a genius. The ship of redemptions has just sailed though. Tsunade continues to roam around without care. If it wasn't because of her strength, she'd be dead already,'' he paused, looking at his sensei curiously. ''Why have you stopped trying to get her back?''

''She chose to leave. Tsunade is not a child. I taught her everything she needed and I told her of my opinion on her attitude. I'm not at that age where I have time to be begging her Jiraiya. I'm looking at the future instead of the past,'' The Sandaime said. ''I really do not have the energy to deal with a woman grown up enough to be a grandmother but still acts like a spoiled little princess...''

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed for a moment before he looked outside the window. ''I won't give up on her, sensei... I will not.''

Sarutobi smiled. ''I know you won't,'' he said. ''You've always looked after her even though she does not reciprocate. It's really sad, isn't it?''

''You don't always get what you desire,'' Jiraiya said with a shrug, but his eyes said the opposite. He still did have hope that things could work out. ''Everything done with Naruto?''

''Yes,'' the Sandaime Hokage said with a smile. ''He will join Anbu as a trainee. I'm surprised though. He didn't as much as put an effort to say no. Previously, he had refused the chance when Itachi gave it to him.''

''He does realize that this is a good opportunity. For someone who wants to grow, this will be beneficial for him,'' Jiraiya said.

Hiruzen nodded. ''Perhaps,'' he said. ''I have moved things and set up other pieces to move in time. Right now, let us just see how this direction will lead us.''

''You do realize you're manipulating other people...''

''That is one way to look at it,'' he said, then remembered the conversation he had with Naruto. ''That boy contradicts himself. If the darkness within him does not consume him, he will become a good person when he does grow up.''

''You noticed, huh?'' Jiraiya said. The darkness within Naruto wasn't something that gave Jiraiya happy thoughts. Especially knowing that the blond was a Jinchuriki to the Bijuu known to hate humans, and Naruto doesn't like humans very much.

''I've known for a long time, but this is why I do what I must. Being in Anbu will expose him to the harsh reality and instead of bottling up his dark thoughts, he will release them. I believe he will not be tainted, but he will learn to value human life...''

''Let us hope it is so,'' Jiraiya said. ''Orochimaru has fled from the Akatsuki and has created his own village. I don't know the details, but I will look for more. That said, I will be going away for some time to gather more Intel.''

''Don't forget to tell both Kushina and Naruto,'' the Sandaime said. ''Oh, do join us for lunch at Icharaku...'' he added with a smile.

Jiraiya shook his head. ''You're never going to stop capitalizing on every opportunity you're given aren't you?'' This was going to send a message throughout Konoha. The Sandaime, and a Sannin, all back up the Yondaime's son.

The Third Hokage smiled innocently, ''I don't know what you're talking about, Jiraiya-kun,'' he said.

''I'll see you at lunch,'' Jiraiya said and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Once the Sannin was gone, the Sandaime Hokage stared at the work in front of him. ''Now then, it is just me and you old friend...''

But before he could get into it, an Anbu appeared out of nowhere before kneeling before the Sandaime. ''I was informed you wish to speak to me, Sandaime-sama.''

The Third nodded, ''Yes,'' the old man said in a serious tone. ''Take off your mask, Yugao-chan and stand up.''

Yugao did as instructed and took off her mask. She looked at the Sandaime curiously, wondering what the old man wanted from her. It wasn't often that one got to see the Sandaime's serious expression. He might be old, but the look still did the trick.

''I'm about to give you an important task,'' the Third took out a file from one of his drawers and handed it to Yugao. ''Uzumaki Naruto: he will join your team as a Trainee, but will still do all missions with you. His codename shall be Fox. His mask and gear have already been prepared. You will give it to him when you please.''

Yugao looked through the File. It was written Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto. The Yondaime's and Kushina's son no doubt. The purple haired Anbu was very surprised that the Sandaime would give the task to her team. He was a Jinchuriki, and someone valuable to Konoha. Heads would roll if something happened to him.

''If I may, Hokage-sama..?''

The Third nodded with a smile.

''Why me?''

''Kakashi is going to retire, again. He would do it if I'd asked, but I want someone new in Naruto's life. There is no one I trust for this better than you: you have worked with both Kakashi and Itachi. If you got along with those two, you will do well with Naruto,'' the Sandaime explained.

The old man may have been smiling, but Yugao got the feeling that she wasn't being asked, but instructed. She put her mask back on, ''I will not fail, Hokage-sama.''

''That is what I expect,'' the Sandaime said.

 **Later that Day**

Sasuke had a deep scowl on his face as he walked into the Senju compound, heading towards Naruto's house. He really didn't want to be here, but the blond had surely forced his hand, and then his mother had told him to do it. Even though the blond had threatened him, he wouldn't have made it simple. He was confident of his abilities, but the mother of his had instructed him not to make things difficult when he told her of Naruto's offer. Perhaps he shouldn't have told her about it. If she didn't know, she wouldn't have butted in to force him to make this move.

There was no turning back now anyway. He just had to get through this. He didn't have a real problem with the blond that he hated him. No, Sasuke hated that condescending tone and those eyes that looked down on him. He hated the fact that the blond took it to the extreme to humiliate him. Uchiha Sasuke did not accept such things so easily. He had his pride after all. Although he would never admit it to the blond, he had learned something during those days they spent training together.

When Sasuke arrived at the back of Naruto's house, he found the blond sitting in a meditative position, eyes closed with gentle winds shooting around him. The raven haired just stared at the blond for a few moments. He grew impatient when the blond didn't say or do anything to acknowledge his presence.

''I'm here,'' Sasuke said through gritted through.

''I can sense you,'' that was Naruto's simple response. ''I'm disappointed. I was thinking you'd try to be a blockhead and I'd have to smack you around then drag you back here. Oh well, there is another way to make up for that...''

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto. ''I will not become your punching bag. I don't even have to be here if I don't want. If this doesn't benefit me in any way, I will not come back, even if my mother urges me to do so,'' the Uchiha said firmly.

''But of course I'm just messing with you to test how well you control yourself,'' Naruto said, acting as if he hadn't heard what Sasuke said. ''You have no self-control, foolish Sasuke. But do not worry; we will beat that into you. No matter what.''

''Am I here for that?''

Naruto opened his eyes and stared at Sasuke for a few silent moments. ''Why do you want power, Sasuke?''

''Isn't it obvious? I have to kill Itachi!''

Naruto just stared. ''Why?''

Sasuke stared back. He was baffled by that nonchalant question. Why? The answer was obvious. He didn't have to answer it. Anyone would know why he would want that traitorous brother of his dead. He had betrayed their clan and killed many of them. He needed to be punished for that. He couldn't be allowed to get away with what he did.

''Because he murdered our father and many of our clansmen in cold blood!''

''Ho? So you wish to make him pay. You wish revenge for his bloody ways, don't you? You want to kill him with your own hands. He was the beloved brother you looked up to and wanted to surpass,'' Naruto cocked his head to the side. ''Humans... Vengeance is easy to be sought. You hate your brother...''

''Why wouldn't I?''

''You have reasons. I guess you seek power for this,'' Naruto said with a sigh. ''Have you wondered what your beloved mother would think if she found out that there are bloody pictures of her son inside your head. Have you even questioned why Itachi didn't kill your mother?''

''It doesn't matter.''

''It does you, fool,'' Naruto cut in strongly. ''You must answer this question: why did Itachi leave your mother and the children alone. Why did he just kill the warriors? When you look at things brightly, you can say he has given your clan a chance to be reformed and to start afresh.''

Naruto was amused with himself. He was preaching? Who was he to preach to other people about their life styles? He would care if Sasuke did things that would hurt Mikoto, but was there really a need to lecture the boy? Was he being a hypocrite? Oh, well, it hardly mattered anyway. He had a job to do and he was willing to pull all strings to get it done successfully.

Sasuke wouldn't be harmed in the end and things would look good for him. No harm done and everyone would be happy. Who could complain?

Sasuke responded with a glare to Naruto's statement.

Naruto wasn't disturbed. Sasuke could prove useful to him. With his time with the Sandaime, he had learned how to mold someone into his little puppet. Itachi had requested that he looked after his little brother, and he would. But at the same time, he would make Sasuke obey him. He wasn't going to spend his time babysitting a spoiled brat without earning himself something in turn.

''You will be training with me, from now on,'' Naruto said, standing up. ''We will train until you defeat Itachi. However, should you do something stupid that will hurt your mother, I will punish you. If you make her cry, I will gouge those eyes and burn them and you will be left with one purpose only: to breed a line of Uchihas.''

Sasuke was having enough of this. ''Don't speak as if you could do anything to me and I would hurt my mother! She is the only family I have left!''

Whether the Uchiha shouted or not, it made no difference to Naruto. He merely got into a stance, and waved for Sasuke to come at him. ''Let us see how far you have improved before we design the proper training program for you.''

Sasuke was glad he had come prepared for anything. He had his weapons with him. He took out two shurikens and sped towards Naruto. As he ran, he threw both shurikens

The shurikens were directed at both Naruto's sides. In response the blond took out a kunai and deflected both successfully. His senses had kept track of Sasuke as he was doing so. The Uchiha made a quick appearance below him and attempted to sweep his feet off the ground.

Naruto jumped back slightly to avoid Sasuke. As he landed down the ground, his kunai disappeared and he stared at Sasuke - who was getting up on his feet. ''You did not just attack head-on. This shows you do use your head during battle. I'll give you credit for that.''

''I don't need to hear that from you,'' Sasuke said with a scoff, going through hand seals. '' **Katon: Great Fireball no Jutsu**!'' The Uchiha exhaled a large ball of intense flames. The jutsu sped towards Naruto's form intense as it was with every intension to consume him.

Naruto didn't move from his position. He held his hands together, a bit lazily as he did.

 **''Futon: Wind Breakthrough**.''

Naruto released powerful gusts of wind that tore through the ground as they sped towards Sasuke's fireball. The two jutsus collided above the ground, resulting in an explosion filled with flames and gusts of winds. All that just created an intense atmosphere around the training aground.

Sasuke suddenly flashed behind Naruto, just above the ground. He was holding two kunais at hand. He quickly threw the first one at Naruto - who was twisting around to face the Uchiha. The kunai seemly whizzed past Naruto before twisting around.

Naruto realized there was a thin thread tied to the kunai.

Sasuke grinned, looking at the bound Naruto. ''I could release a fire jutsu and burn you now. Would you like that or you want to say you lose?'' There was just arrogance and a highly overconfident tone.

All that was gone when 'Naruto' suddenly burst in a puff of smoke. Then there was a clap of hands from behind Sasuke. Naruto jumped from the tree and looked at Sasuke. ''Although the sound of arrogance in your tone bothers me, you did not fail. This is acceptable and I can live with it.''

Sasuke frowned. Naruto wasn't saying he was good. He was simply being told that his skills were acceptable... Just off the mark. It was bitter pill to swallow. After all the training he did, and all the hours he worked to improve himself, he was still just acceptable? It was infuriating. Sasuke wanted nothing more than to lunge at Naruto and rip him to pieces while throwing curses at that expressionless face that was staring him.

''That's a lot of talk from someone who didn't even attack,'' Sasuke chose to say. ''Can you-'' the Uchiha widened his eyes when Naruto cut the distance between them in the blink of an eye. That had been unexpected. He hadn't expected the blond to be so fast.

''I didn't attack because I chose not to,'' Naruto said quietly. ''But if you want me to attack, I will do so...''

By instinct Sasuke jumped back, having sensed that Naruto was going to attack in that moment. He wasn't saved as the moment he landed on the ground, Naruto had charged at him once again. The blond went head on and sent a high right footed kick towards Sasuke's head. The Uchiha tried to block the kick with his hands, but the power behind the kick was more than he could handle and he was sent the other way.

He quickly recovered though. As he regained his bearings, Naruto appeared in front of him, eyes looking down at him as if he was a fly. It infuriated Sasuke. He hated those eyes. In anger, he swung a right punch straight at Naruto's face. The blond ducked under the punch and threw a right punch of his own towards Sasuke's gut. He'd put enough power to make Sasuke kneel down while clutching his gut after the punch had connected with him.

''I will refrain from any unnecessary damage to you. I don't want to send you home broken. Your mother will be most worried,'' Naruto said turning away from Sasuke.

Once he turned away, Sasuke tried to take advantage of it and lunged at the blond. Naruto responded twisting around with a knee to the gut. He then grabbed Sasuke by his neck.

''Sasuke, there are many things that I dislike and don't care about. I don't have many interests... They could be three or two. Nothing in this world really interests me. Neither do you, but if you become a good boy, you will interest me, and perhaps I may 'like' you,'' Naruto said a bit firmly. ''One more thing: as one who will be training with you, you will obey my every word. I don't care if you like it or not. When I tell you to do something, you will do it... Do you understand me?''

Sasuke responded with a cold glare.

Naruto didn't flinch. He just pushed the Uchiha back. ''Calm yourself and we will begin with Taijutsu...''

Having said that, Naruto walked to a distance and sat down in a meditative position, eyes closed.

Sasuke was really nothing like his elder. He was truly disappointing. Yes, the boy was smart and his genius may be true, but his arrogance left little to be desired. It would be difficult working with someone like him. But Naruto was going to do it without complains. On the long run, things would benefit him greatly.

''I'm done,'' Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

Naruto opened one eye for a moment before closing it again. ''No you're not. There is tension in your jaw and barely restrained anger in your tone. Once you have removed that, we will begin. If it doesn't happen today, tomorrow is another day.''

''I don't have to sit around for this!'' Sasuke shouted impatiently, and got up, ready to leave. But before he could even take a step forward, a Kunai whizzed past him, cutting a bit of his right ear. It had been directed to hit that spot.

''You will leave when I give the permission,'' Naruto said sternly. ''Learn to be patient. Patience is virtue for a shinobi. You must always know when to reveal your cards, when to attack, when to make your move. Without it, you act in the wrong time and you get trapped.''

But of course none of that applied when it came to his mother.

'Are you enjoying this as much as I am?' The Kyuubi said to Naruto. The tone truly suggested the Bijuu was enjoying the show. 'Even though this Uchiha has yet to awaken that cursed Sharingan, it is still worth the watch to see someone with Uchiha blood in this kind of position.'

'I'm not a sadist,' Naruto responded calmly. 'Your hatred towards the Uchiha is truly something else. Perhaps the job of annihilating them should've been given to you.'

'I would have massacred the entire clan,' The Kyuubi said. 'I cannot forget that you stood in the way. If it hadn't been for you, the clan would be extinct by now. Thinking about it makes me some urges...'

'So?'

 **The Following Day**

Naruto was doing his morning excises when an Anbu popped up out of nowhere. This forced the blond to stop his movements and look at the obviously female Anbu before him. When the Anbu remained silent, Naruto looked up into the sky and a seal less Kage Bunshin appeared in a puff of smoke. It was for his mother to speak to her that he'd been taken away. Obviously, the woman was here for him and since he'd been expecting this to happen, he wasn't surprised.

''I wonder what Itachi would say now,'' Naruto said to himself, but the cat-masked Anbu heard him.

Before the Uchiha became a 'traitor' he had been the one to try to get him to join Anbu. But Naruto had refused. It hadn't been once that he refused. He hadn't wanted to leave his mother's side during that time. But now he understood that she was safe, even when he wasn't around. As long as she remained on this cursed village, Uzumaki Kushina would be safe. As long as an invasion doesn't happen, he could afford to do other things.

''Oh well, it can't be helped,'' Naruto said in a resigned tone.

''Uzumaki Naruto, come with me,'' Neko said in that automatic tone that Anbu used while wearing their masks.

Naruto didn't resist. It was time, he merely thought as he the Anbu took him away. They disappeared out of thin air and appeared somewhere. Naruto could only assume as the Anbu HQ. He didn't even know where the damn building was located within the village. Oh well, he would know soon enough.

Within the place, Neko handed him his gear and told him to put it on. He was showed the male rooms and he went there to change. Black pants, a vest, upper body armor and a kodachi. Looking at himself, Naruto couldn't help but frown: where was he going to hide his weapons wearing a gear like this?

It hit him that Anbu do wear black cloaks to hide their appearance to blend in with the darkness. With that in mind, Naruto returned to Neko, who was waiting patiently for him.

''All Anbu are supposed to have a tattoo to identify them. You may be just a trainee, but you'll be doing all Anbu missions with my team. Dangerous or not. You'll be doing them,'' Neko said. ''That makes you Anbu and as such you will receive your branding.''

The Sandaime had said the blond shouldn't be spared from anything and he would assign them missions that could be dangerous once Naruto had settled. Normally, they had to test if the blond was worthy of being Anbu, but things were different here. One could say the blond was being given special treatment, but She was an Anbu. She didn't ask questions. She merely did as she was told by her superior.

Naruto merely nodded and allowed the woman to take him to be branded. Once that was done, she took him away and they appeared in a place surrounded by trees. Neko disappeared into thin air as a masked man flashed in front of Naruto. The man quickly flashed his right foot towards Naruto's face. When the kick connected, the blond burst into a murder of crows.

The crows cried as they begun to gather a distance back. Naruto appeared, through his mask, he looked up. ''Always be aware of your surroundings, because enemies are like to ambush you. Anbu are always thrown into dangerous missions and in foreign territory. This comes essential for survival and the success of a mission.''

Naruto looked at his front, the Anbu that had attacked had disappeared. ''I'm not a good sensor, but there should be three of you around the trees. I guess I should play along...''

Having said that, the blond completely vanished.

A few minutes later: Naruto was staring at Neko, Tiger, and Panther. These were his teammates and part of the group he was joining: squad Neko, they called themselves and he was the newbie: Fox.

''Introduce yourself,'' Neko said having done all other things and with the others having introduced themselves.

''Fox,'' Naruto merely said in a blank tone. The Sandaime must have surely given them his file. So there was no need to add into that detail. Besides, wearing this mask, he wasn't Uzumaki Naruto, but just Fox.

''Welcome to the team, Fox,'' Neko said. ''Meet us atop of the Hospital at 7pm sharp. We will begin training excises while on patrol duty. In any team, trust amongst team members is essential. We already know each other, but we don't know you. For this team to be successful, you must know and trust us and we must know and trust you.''

Naruto merely nodded. That was unexpected, but he could understand. ''I will take my leave then,'' the blond said before disappearing in small gusts of wind.

"We have received a handful one here," Tiger said. It was impossible to tell if he was disappointed or displeased that they'd received a kid as a new teammate.

"Possibly," Panther agreed. "But at least he is quiet and seems to know his way around a battlefield. We won't have much babysitting to do."

"We will see more when we go out tonight," Neko said. She stared at Panther. "Don't plan anything outrageous."

 **That concludes chapter 8. The response to number 7 was wonderful; thank you everyone for your reviews.**

 **I thought the scene with Naruto and the Sandaime was rather wonderful and the one with his mother. Anbu a bit shaky. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this one.**

 **The omnipresent Sage**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

BK landed on the ground in a crouched position with his hands touching the ground, his head facing up to look above him; an opponent was standing on a tree branch looking him with a grin. The expression on his face could not be seen by the assailant because of his mask.

"Konoha must be getting desperate by making children Anbu," the man said calmly, still standing on the tree branch.

BK didn't say anything. He merely took a standing position as he readied for another attack. He didn't have to win this battle, just hold enough for the others to arrive at his location. He wouldn't need to attack if that was the case. Stalling meant he just had to avoid getting hit and run around a bit but not get too far away from this location. He had plenty of speed to be able to run about, but the man before him was a strong shinobi and he would eventually catch him if he just ran about.

He had to think.

The black haired man suddenly jumped down from the tree and landed on both his feet. "Not going to talk to me, are you?" He said taking a few steps towards BK. "Afraid of death"

Talking would kill some time, BK decided. With that in mind, he placed his right hand in his right pocket and responded. "It's a little difficult to try to talk to a man who is trying to kill you," he responded calmly, even though faced by the situation before him.

The man only seemed to widen his smile because of BK's response. "Anbu are truly well trained dogs," the man said calmly. "To be able to talk so calmly without any fear in your tone… truly impressive given that you're just a brat."

"Why are you doing this?" BK asked calmly.

The man didn't respond to the question; he just blurred out of sight. BK went on guard as he stretched his senses out wide to be able to follow the man's movements. Seeing that the man was a bit too fast, BK threw a smoke bomb on the ground, setting it off. The bomb exploded quickly and covered his body in a cloud of smoke.

The man he sensed the enemy landing in front of him, BK pushed chakra into his knees and jumped up to avoid the man.

"Got you!"

That was what BK heard as he was grabbed by his right foot as he was trying to jump away from the smoke. Had no time to give any reaction as the man pulled him down, slamming him down the ground on his back. He winced as his body brutally crashed in to the ground, leaving his print there.

"It won't be fun if you keep running away," the man said grinning, jumping down at BK, with his right fist charging towards BK's chest.

BK rolled away as the man neared, missing him. The powerful punch crashed through the ground, creating a small boom was it raised small amount of debris.

BK quickly jumped upside down, standing on both his hands while the man was still down the ground, with his fist still imbedded on the ground. He twisted around, using as hands as balance and sent a spinning kick towards the man. The opponent saw it coming and crouched down the ground, facing the upside down redhead. He grinned as he slid his right foot through the ground, trying to kick the Anbu's hands from the ground in order to put him off balance. BK bended his hands a bit as he pushed chakra into his elbow muscles and jumped off quickly as his opponent's sweep slid through below.

Flipping twice, BK went on to land on the ground on his knees and looked at his opponent once more.

The man straightened himself and looked at the masked Anbu with a smile. "You're pretty good. I guess Konoha isn't that desperate," he said.

Once again he blurred out of BK's sight. The masked Anbu's reflexes kicked in as the black haired enemy appeared behind him, with his right foot travelling through the air in tremendous speed, charging towards his temple. BK held his hands in front of his head in a cross position. The kick slammed into his defence. Although it didn't break, he was sending flying away due to the man's power.

As he was being carried by the momentum of the kick, BK flipped several times in order to regain his balance as he knew he was going to hit a tree behind him. That would be a painful experience, one he would rather avoid. As the tree edged closer, BK pushed chakra into his feet and positioned them to hitting the tree instead of his body. The chakra helped him stick on the tree's trunk.

Before he could even release himself once landing, the black haired shinobi flashed in front of him, above the ground. The man twisted around, before sending a right footed kick aimed at BK's chest. The Anbu burst into a murder crows, avoiding the blow that would have glued him to the tree branch.

BK landed on the ground just behind the man and held out his kodachi as the man quickly recovered without even looking pained after his foot slammed into the tree trunk. The man rushed at BK once more, holding a kunai. Both his feet landed in front of BK as he slashed horizontally. BK held his blade well to block the slash.

When the man attempted a side strike, BK channelled wind into his sword and also swung his sword towards the kunai. The kodachi cleanly cut through the kunai without any troubles, greatly surprising the enemy shinobi. BK used the surprise to his advantage by channelling chakra into his right foot as he twisted around and slammed his foot around the man's waist level. The chakra enhanced kick sent the man away from BK but he was quick to recover.

BK didn't give the man a chance to make the first move; he twisted around to face the man; he threw two smoke bombs in front of him. As they exploded, the Anbu did a couple of hand seals. "Futon: Great Wind Breakthrough!"

The redhead Anbu released gusts of winds that sped towards the man. The powerful gusts carried the smoke that BK had made when he ignited the smoke bombs. As the jutsu travelled in tremendous speed, peeling the ground as it caused debris to pick up, BK followed the attack by throwing two explosives tags, hidden in the smoke.

"Earth Style: Mud wall!" The Black haired man shouted as he raised a wall of earth from the ground to shield himself from the gusts of wind. The jutsus clashed, and the defensive jutsu held firm, until BK ignited the explosive tags, causing a loud explosion to rock through the trees as it shattered the mud all.

The man was blown back slightly.

BK suddenly appeared in front of the man, holding his kodachi in a reverse grip. He swung the blade from his right side, charging it towards the man's chest, in a slight upwards slash. The man leaned back slightly before ducking under the strike. He took two steps towards in a second and slammed a powerful punch towards the Anbu's chest, knocking the wind out of his lungs as he was picked up from the ground by the power of the punch.

Before the Anbu could be sent backwards, the man grabbed him by his face and brutally slammed him to the ground. The man took out a kunai and tried to stab BK through his chest, but the Anbu stopped the blow by the side of his kodachi,

BK breathed in some air and released a wind bullet that crashed into the man's body head on, sending him flying backwards. The redhead Anbu quickly recovered. He wiped the blood leaking from his mouth and made a distance from the man.

As he landed a distance away, he frowned behind his mask. He was trying so hard to show that he was beginning to tire out. This was a bit taxing even though he had been trying to avoid using any jutsus that would consume a lot of chakra from him and take away his stamina. He was very thankful that he was a Jinchuriki; otherwise, he would have been worn out already.

He would have to trick the man and use his trump card I order to disable the man. At least the conditions had already been set. He really didn't want to end up revealing it now.

The black haired man took a step toward BK, but was stopped when kunai suddenly flashed past his face in blinding speed, causing him to jump back slightly. The moment he landed on the ground, three Anbu landed around him silently – they'd just appeared out of nowhere.

BK allowed his body to fall down on his butt and winced as he did. He closed his eyes as he counted the seconds. The moment he opened them, the man was down on his knees, bound. He released a long breath and dispelled the clone that was hiding.

Neko walked up to him and offered him her hand. "Sorry we are late. Things turned out to be a lot more difficult than we expected," she said as BK took her hand, standing up with his kodachi on his left hand.

"I can imagine so, but you came up right time," he said calmly.

"You managed to do well on your own though. We came here in a hurry when we realized that the man was stronger than we originally thought," Neko said. "I'm glad you managed though."

"I was a little worried about taking you out on your first mission," Tiger said as he patted the small Anbu on the back in a friendly gesture. "But to be able to hold out against a Jonin-level shinobi is impressive."

BK played his efforts down. "The man had underestimated me a little bit and he wasn't that smart. I just had to think a bit and after sparring with a Sannin you learn a few things." BK turned towards the man and asked. "What are we going to do about him?"

"We have to first move out of here to a new location before we continue with our mission. A fight has occurred around here we are not sure there is anyone else around this place. We need some rest after fighting."

It was understandable, BK thought. Even he could not go on the mission with the way his body felt. He needed to nurse his body a bit and relax his muscle before they went on their true mission. This had just been an annoyance that stood in the way. It wasn't the only obstacle that had stood in the way. Their group had been ambushed by a number of shinobi and they had been forced to separate.

Being the weakest, he was forced to take on only one opponent while the others took on multiple opponents.

Things would not always go according to plan; that was what he had been taught during the training regimes. He may have perfected the Anbu look and learned to control his emotions, but there had been still too much that he didn't know about and that was why he had to be taught by his lively teammates. Well, the others were, the captain wasn't all lively as the other two.

"You can run for about any hour, yes? We need to make as much distance as we can with this place. Some people might be after us again and we can't afford to be held back from reaching the rendezvous place with the other team."

BK looked back to the captain who had spoken. "I can go on," he said calmly.

Neko nodded. She had Tiger write a letter and summoned a messenger bird. The bird was sent back to Konoha with the location of where they would camp. Once that was done, the squad disappeared from the trees along with the man they had subdued.

About an hour and a half later

The long way towards the borders of the Fire Country just away from the Valley of End had been a fast and silent one. The four had focused simply on running towards the borders instead of talking. Chatting about this and that would come after they'd reached their location.

"This will be good enough," Neko said causing the others to come to a halt as they landed on the ground, leaving the high ground of the trees. Their prisoner was bound to a tree with chains and Neko focused on her team once more. "Let's check the parameters. We don't want any surprises. Come back in 5 minutes tops so that we can rest."

"Hai!" the three saluted before disappearing into thin air.

Once they were gone, Neko looked back at the man they had held with a frown. He was a missing-nin from Kumogakure. She could recognize the face any time of the day. BK hadn't realized it because he was new and had probably not read other villages bingo books. If the boy had been an overconfident idiot, he may have been killed and his mother would have killed her – at least that is what she feared.

They had not recognized the man to be a missing-nin when he sped off. But there was no other choice either way. BK couldn't handle a group of shinobis. Perhaps he could hold them back with his clones, but they were Anbu, they had to save up their energy because their world was dangerous and they had yet to complete their mission. It would be failure for them to run out of energy before they could reach their destination.

The five minutes went by and the three returned. Both recorded clear sides and Neko accepted their reports before she had them gather around. "You must be wondering how those people must've known that we were coming."

Panther was first to speak. "The ambush was well-planned. We didn't notice anything until we were forced into separation. They must have known that we were coming, but how did that leak out?"

"Our mission is highly classified, and I doubt there is a spy in our ranks," Tiger added confidently.

"The leak may not have come from our side and it may not be a leak at all," BK gave his own cents after going through some of his thoughts. "Just because they knew we were coming, doesn't mean someone from our side told them."

Neko nodded in agreement with BK. "We are dealing with another group from the other side and our mission is the retrieval of the Intel that has been gathered. It is possible that the person was forced to send a mission to Konoha or they allowed him to send and then captured him. We are dealing with a spy here. If he was caught with his message, they are likely to assume that he has sent the message."

"Not to mention we are dealing with Orochimaru here," Tiger added.

"This may be a trap," Neko said taking out a headband from one of the man she had dealt with. "This is the headband I got from one of those men. It is from the Sound. Knowing Orochimaru, he may have captured our spy and sent those to their deaths."

"Either way, we don't know anything, but have no choice but to still go through with this," Panther said in a firm tone. They were Anbu; this was a necessary step in order to complete their mission. They could be valuable Intel that would lead them into stopping Orochimaru and understanding more about the Akatsuki.

"We have to make a plan though. Once we have rested enough, we will have to make way." Neko said.

Behind his mask, BK frowned at the thought of walking into a trap. He really didn't like the thought but this was a mission and he was a newbie. He had to follow instructions of the captain. But what if they were going to walk into a dangerous trap? How would they escape that trap? BK wasn't about to risk everything with just plan A and B: there had to be plan C and even D for that matter. what was worse was not knowing what they would come across.

It just made him remember that jutsu he assured himself he would only use for his mother's safety. He didn't even carry the damn kunai with him because he'd only made one of those. But he did know the seal, so he could apply it with his chakra. BK didn't want to end up using the jutsu but if everything forced him to do so, he would have no choice.

The mission wasn't so difficult. Really, they just had to go in the sound country and retrieve Intel from one of their own. There was a squad that had gone to gather the Intel, but all other members had been lost in the mission and the last one had said he was hiding in the Sound but could not travel back because he was injured.

The Sandaime had warned them that they might come across troubles since this was Orochimaru's territory, but BK had not thought things would reach this point. If they had gone smoothly, things may have been working well for them and the mission would have been less dangerous than it had become.

Perhaps there was more to the mission than the Sandaime was saying. As far as BK was informed, Anbu didn't question the orders they were given. They simply did as they were told to do. It was possible that the mission could not be as they were told and there was more to things than the Sandaime was letting on. BK wouldn't put it past the old man to do something like that.

He was always plotting after all, and people thought he was too peaceful and weak. BK snorted at the thought.

After an hour of resting and when the group was ready to cross the borders, they were stopped by another squad of Anbu from the Hidden Leaf. Friendlies: no need to be on guard. It was too faster to say that the, the message had reached Konoha and they had deployed. The distance from here and Konoha couldn't be covered in just three hours without rest.

The captain of the squad walked over to Neko as the others remained behind, not willing to start a conversation with their colleagues. It almost felt as if there was some hostility between the two groups.

"Judging by your appearance it seems that you have come across sound shinobi and battled them," the Anbu monotonously said to Neko.

The purple haired Anbu nodded. "We battled them a few kms back, but managed to fend them off. This missing-nin was among them," she said calmly. "So it is true that Orochimaru is using missing-nins to form his military power."

"They mostly have nowhere to run to and being hunted by Hunter-nins is not a joy for anyone unless you're an S-rank criminal. In any case, we will take care of matters, but since this was your catch, the price to his head will be handed to you," the Bird masked Anbu stated.

Neko nodded. She was happy she didn't have to start a fight over the pay. "How did you know about the Sound Shinobi?"

"After you left, we received new Intelligence from Jiraiya-sama and that the mission that had been upgraded to S-rank. The Sandaime Hokage sent us to back you up should have engaged enemies before our arrival or take over the mission if you have not crossed the borders," the Anbu said handing Neko a scroll. "This is your new mission. We will handle this one."

Behind her mask, Neko frowned, but she took the scroll. She didn't open it. "So our message may have yet to reach the Sandaime or may have reached him. Well, it matters not anyway with things like this," she said calmly.

She wasn't about to be accused of insubordination by refusing the Sandaime's orders. She was going to handle the new mission they had been given. She figured the mission was just the Sandaime's way of making it up to them for taking this mission after giving it to them. They had made the start; it would be cruel to send them back home just like that.

Neko shook her head when the man before her just motioned for his team to untie the man they had tied to a tree and disappeared without leaving a trace.

"How did they manage to track us so quickly?" Panther asked. "If they didn't get that message, then it must mean that they didn't know about our location and had just tracked us down."

"So quickly?" BK asked with a raised brow behind his mask. "If it had been easy, they would have found us before we even engaged the Sound Shinobi. They received the message after we left. It couldn't have been too long after we left. An hour at most…"

Neko nodded. "They must have been travelling faster than us because their mission was to catch us before we crossed the borders. We were not traveling at our fastest speeds and were spent time fighting and resting here," she said before adding. "They have an Inuzuka in their group anyway. Their noses are rather sharp, especially for one who has been in Anbu for a little too long."

"What is the new mission, though?" Panther asked, his eyes looking at the scroll on Neko's right hand.

The woman opened the scroll and read it before speaking. "There is a group of bandits who kidnaped women from the Fire capital. They are suspected to be linked to a mercenary group and someone from the Fire Country's Council. Their last movements were sighted towards Tanzaku Town. Our mission isn't to take them out but to find out if they really have a connection with the man from the council."

"Good place… Tanzaku that is…" Panther said in a dreamy tone. "It would make sense why they would go to that town. It would be easy to pick up stray cats," the masked Anbu looked at Neko waving his hands. "I don't mean you," he said quickly.

Neko merely shook her head. "We should set out now so that we can be there by evening. I will relay further details once we reach the Town," the captain said. "Let us head out."

"Hai."

The four disappeared after that salute.

 **Tanzaku Town**

Only one room had been booked for their stay. It was a room for one person that would accommodate all four. They were not planning on staying for too long and this room was to be used as their little meeting room. BK had a complaint about this though.

"Why do I have to pay for this room?" Money was not unlimited to him. Senju riches were not that much and they were disappearing although his mother has failed to mention it. Soon enough, they would have to depend on his earnings as a shinobi, and so he could not afford to be wasting money.

"We didn't have something like this planned," Neko said. "And none of us came here with enough money," she managed to keep her tone flat as she said those words.

"So, if I didn't have any money, we'd be camping out in the forest," BK said with a shake of his head. "Well, this was not planned. What now?"

"We will all hit different places around the town and meet back here at 11pm sharp," Neko said looking at BK. "You have been taught the basics about gathering Intel, can you handle this? There might be some shinobi involved. And given that this involves a member of the government, we have to be careful and our information has to be concrete or they might be a political scandal if our information proves to be false. Our information confirms that they are indeed in this town."

"So we have to search for who is leading the charges. If they are here, they will be scouting all the places this time and will strike at midnight. If we find who and where, we will be able to send a report to Konoha," Tiger said, sounding all too serious. "Can I suspect that we were sent here because someone from the council will also be in this town?"

"Yes," Neko said. "You guys go on your own, BK and I will find this official and tail him," she said taking out a picture. "If you see him before we do, tail him. Avoid using chakra and revealing anything. We don't want to tip them off."

"Hai," Panther and Tiger saluted before both vanished.

Neko audibly sighed as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "While I know they won't do anything to risk the mission, I know those two will no doubt try to have fun while they are at it. Well, as long as they get the job done."

"Is it wrong to have fun?" BK asked, looking straight at the woman.

Neko shook her head. "No," she said. "But not while on a mission. A mission is a mission. They can have their fun back at Konoha, there are no shortages of fun places," she said with a shake of her head, as if she was trying to shake off some thoughts.

BK seemed to think for a few moments before speaking. "I heard that the job of Black Ops can be stressing, and that people have many ways of coping with the experiences of the things that they have to do and see," he paused, tilting his head to the side. "Is going all out for fun their way of coping with the difficulties of Anbu?"

Neko stared at BK for a few moments, thinking. Within the time she has been spending with the young Anbu, she has learned that his file was not exaggerating when it said he was really smart. He was very perceptive even and did really well to hide his emotions. He fitted in well with the way of the Anbu perfectly and didn't seem to object to what came with the life of an Anbu.

"Don't you want to rest? We can continue with this conversation once darkness has descended… I prefer to work with a clear head," Neko said.

"There will be hardly any activities now," BK said looking through the window. "I can force myself to sleep until the night reaches us. It won't be long though. The sun is already setting," he said looking back into the room.

The young Anbu climbed into the bed with Neko looking at him strangely. He picked his side and lay facing up, mask still on with his hands on his chest.

"What are you doing?" Neko asked. She was going to take the bed. He was still a kid, but she was conscious of the fact that he was a shinobi, male and most of all in Anbu. He had gone through some Anbu lessons. Age hardly mattered at this stage.

BK raised an eye brow behind his mask. "Preparing to take a nap," he said calmly. "I paid for this room it's only logical that I take the bed," he turned his head towards Neko. "You've been Anbu for too long, should you have a problem with taking a nap with me?"

Neko blinked. He would suggest that she sleep in the same bed with her? Did he not know anything? What was she even thinking anyway? Naruto was still just a kid. She shook her head.

"If it will make you comfortable, you can put a wall between us and tie me with a chain, I won't mind," BK said calmly. "I'm taking my nap."

He went silent after saying those words.

Neko stared for a few moments. She shook her head, at least those two were not watching. It would be troublesome if they were watching and she would never hear the end of it.

 **Later**

Neko looked at BK with a raised brow; he was transformed into a slender young man with black hair, wearing civilian clothes. Perhaps that is what she could call a perfect disguise. It wasn't genjutsu that one would see through it, but a transformation and the young Anbu had displayed to be able to keep at it for a long time. She wouldn't have to worry about him allowing it to slip through while they were on their mission.

The Anbu captain shook her head as her eyes strayed away from the – admittedly good looking – young man and looked at the road ahead of them. "Why am I acting as your girlfriend again?"

"Because it makes much more sense than a careless parent walking into a bar with her son," BK said calmly. "I have 10 clones searching around for our suspect and a few inconveniences that may be suspicious. We can sit at a bar and 'enjoy' ourselves."

Neko was silent for a few moments. Naruto either didn't notice or didn't care about her discomfort at the idea. He may have transformed into an adult, but underneath, he was still a kid. The woman sighed. This was a mission. This was at least better than being hooked up a drug old fart while searching for information.

"No funny moves," she said to BK.

The young man looked at her with a raised eye brow. "I will make moves when I'm drunk. You should know better than anyone that when you try to say no and I'm being forceful, some people will come in to save the day. From the Intel we got from Tiger one of the abductors will be in the bar… it's likely that he will be the first to make a move to save you from this drunk fool and act nicely to take you back to your room."

Neko stared at the young Anbu for a minute or so. "You thought that by yourself? I feel like I'm not the captain anymore."

BK smiled, "You may be afraid to take the measures you'd normally take with others because I'm still a kid, but I'm showing that this kid has the mind of an adult. The body lacks growth, but the mind is mature. I understand things fully, but this is a mission."

Neko sighed. "I'd considered the thought, but since you don't have a problem with it we can go on with it," she said calmly. "Shall we?" She asked with a smile, holding out her right hand.

BK smiled beautifully and took the hand. "Call me Shiro," he said to the woman. "I'll still with Neko. It fits when being playful… as in my little neko."

The fact that she actually agreed with that, made Neko thank the gods that both Tiger and Panther were not with them.

The two walked into the crowded bar; noisy was the first that came into Naruto's mind, but he would have to bear with it for the success of the mission. The two made their way towards the counter and paid for a few drinks before settling out to a corner.

Neko did a silencing seal as the two settled down. "Found him," she said. "Left from the entrance, past four tables; he isn't alone."

BK didn't look, he merely nodded. "Panther is also here," he said. "I'm guessing those others are associates of his…. How were those two able to find them so quickly anywhere?"

"Their camp; when they left us, they went on to do a clean sweep in the outskirts of the town and the found the camp. With Panther here, we will just have to sit here and wait for your clones to find our target and we will move out. No more acting," Neko said.

"Disappointing," BK said. "I was looking forward to it. The experience would have been worth it…" He said picking up a bottle of beer and then opened it.

"I was wondering why the Sandaime said not to shield you from anything," Neko said. "You seem ready to do anything," she said.

BK put the bottle back on the table after putting it on his mouth. He didn't drink, just made it look like he was drinking. His mother had said no sake until he was 18. He had to hold on until then. "Six blocks from here, a small dumpling stand."

"Let us not wait here anymore. Panther will handle things here," Neko said as she stood up holding one bottle. "Your camera ready? It will be needed to take the pictures that will be our proof."

BK nodded, "IT is ready," he said calmly as he stood up as well.

The two made their way out of the bar and disappeared. They appeared a block away from the stand the target they were looking for. Neko decided it was best they stayed there. As long as they could get some pictures to prove their case, then it was alright. Their mission was to get the proof and report back to the Hokage, nothing more and nothing less.

"Is it often that high ranking officials do something like this?" BK asked as he sat atop of a building with Neko by his side. "They already have money and power. What more do they want?"

"Even a millionaire will tell you it is not enough. These people are always looking for more and with their positions, it is really easy to do it and hide it," Neko said. "We have had missions in which we had to get rid of corrupt officials and make it look like it was a paid assassin. These kind of scumbags are the worst though. Some just steal money, but these are the worst."

BK looked and Neko for a moment. "At least we can confirm that the he is connected with the bandits…" he looked thoughtful for a moment. "Why don't we just capture him and interrogate him. That man he is with is in the pictures Tiger gave us."

"Not our orders," Neko said. "We just have to gather information. I'm assuming the Sandaime Hokage has been looking at this for some time and with high ranking officials, you have to be careful. Sometimes even exposing them doesn't do it. In most cases, this is where we come in."

BK was silent for a few a moments before he responded in a calm tone. "I'm guessing the Sandaime wants to give the evidence as a gift to the Daimyo when we go to see him. I'm sure when we return, I will only have time to rest and then we will depart to the see the man."

Scheming old man, Naruto thought.

"You're really smart for someone your age. Ridiculously so," Neko said quietly. "Yet from what I hear, you don't appear to have any goals. When I was your age, I had dreams. Everyone has dreams. We all do."

"That is true," BK said calmly. "We all have dreams. I'm guessing the Sandaime has also given you another mission to keep watch of me during missions. In Anbu, there must be an S-rank file about Uzumaki Naruto."

Neko said nothing.

"It is nothing to worry about. When I joined Anbu, I knew he would do something like this. I'm not just his successor's son, but I'm also a Jinchuriki. It's only logical that he would like to keep an eye on me especially when I have little regard to human life," the young Anbu stated. "Can you do something for me?"

"What?"

"We never had this conversation and keep…" he trailed off when his camera lenses showed him that the man was now moving. "Are we going to follow him?"

"Yes," Neko said. "We will keep tailing him for two days at least. We will have to know more about the connection with the bandits and other illegal business he is conducting. We will however send the location of the bandit camp to Konoha before midnight. By morning, the Sandaime should be sending a team to handle it."

 **Two Days Later  
Konoha **

The mission was done and dusted, and the team had returned to Konoha. Neko alone had gone to report to the Hokage while the others went to Anbu HQ to change and sign off for some time off. Naruto looked into his mask for a few moments before placing everything in his locker, having changed back into his favoured clothing.

"If you were old enough, we'd invite you for some drinks," Tiger said walking past Naruto. "Well, see you next mission, Black Knight."

When did that name even come from? He preferred it over fox. The code name was just literal with him. He did host a nine-tailed fox inside his body. Ino had called him her black knight and so he decided BK would be his preferred code name and the guys were more than happy to accommodate him. Perhaps they understood the situation that surrounded him. Well, they were Anbu and what he held was known to them and most of the population.

Naruto nodded at his two comrades, "Yea," he said.

As the blond was ready to leave, Neko appeared before him. "The Sandaime wishes to speak to you," she said.

Naruto frowned. He was looking forward to seeing his mother. It hadn't been the longest that he was separated from her. Jiraiya had once done something cruel by taking him away from his mother saying they would only be gone for two days, but that turned out to be a month. Naruto had been tempted to use Shisui's eye to compel the Sannin to take him back to his mother when all attempts to get the man to take him back had proved to be fruitless.

Well it was better to get this done and over with. Contemplating about it will only waste more time and he wanted to go home. The blond looked back at Neko and nodded before responded. "I'll go see him now."

Having said that, the blond disappeared from Neko's sight and appeared in the Sandaime's office.

The Third smiled at Naruto. Happy to see the blond once again. Inside he really did have so many questions though. The most troubling was what was Naruto playing at? The Anbu protecting his mother had been taken through some extensive questioning. Even so, Naruto has never trusted his mother's safety with anyone. What was different this time? Was it simply because he trusted his word enough to believe that the Anbu he assigned for the protection of his mother would give his life for her if necessary?

The Sandaime didn't think that it was enough, yet Naruto was willing to permit it. He was willing to leave the village and leave the side of a woman he had once looked at anyone who tried to break them apart with contempt. He had issued the orders, but the blond hadn't fought him over it. There had to be something that the old man was missing.

It is every child's dream to protect their parents, and while Naruto took it to the extreme, it couldn't be that all his dreams ended there. There had to be something that the blond desired. It gave the Third a headache since he could not figure out. It worried him even knowing that there was some darkness within Naruto.

Hiruzen shook his head and strengthened his smile as he focused on Naruto. "How was your first mission outside the village?" The Sandaime asked nicely.

"Fine," Naruto said. "The ambush we encountered made it a interesting… though the part in Tanzaku Town was a bit interesting as well, it was nothing thrilling."

Missions weren't supposed to be for fun. Naruto understood that the Sandaime was asking him about the difficulty of the mission. The response he gave would cover that as well. It wasn't that difficult and if it wasn't because he had been curious about what Anbu actually did when trying to gather Intel; he would have probably found it dull. Naruto was sure both Tiger and Panther would agree with him.

"Gathering Intelligence can be challenging depending on time and place. Say you're doing it in another Hidden Village; there are risks of being caught while doing it and once caught, you will be taken through interrogation or even killed."

Naruto merely nodded. "That is what the captain was saying," he said tilting his head to the side. "What is it that you wanted to speak to me about?" He tried to be polite when asking.

"Your second mission," The Sandaime said. "I'm sure you've already figured that I want to give this Intelligence to the Feudal Lord as a present."

"I just suspected it to be the case knowing that we are going to visit him," the blond said calmly.

The Third nodded with a smile. He wasn't surprised the least. He had expected the blond to work things out. "We will visit the Daimyo in three days. I do hope my present will be enough to work some magic with him and provided you play your part, we will both return happy."

There was really no need to remind him. Naruto didn't even bother to respond to the Sandaime after he had spoken. "Was the anything else, Sandaime-sama?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "You can go; I'm sure your mother is waiting for you," he said smiling.

Naruto nodded and flashed away.

A few minutes after Naruto left, Danzo walked into the office. For the first time he didn't have to shake his head because he had called the war hawk. "I was beginning to think that you were not going to come," he said idly.

"I had some other matters to handle," Danzo responded calmly. "What is it?"

The Sandaime Hokage opened one of his drawers and took out a file. "A squad of Anbu was assigned to a mission to fetch one of our agents who was stranded in the Sound. He was carrying valuable Intel about Iwagakure, and the Akatsuki as well as about Orochimaru's activities. It has been a few days and I have not heard anything from them. Gather your men them on a retrieval mission."

Danzo accepted the file the Sandaime was giving him with a blank look on his face. "I'll get it done," the man said.

"I hope you do."

"IS there anything else I should know?" Danzo asked as he prepared to take his leave.

It was a surprise that his former teammate was giving him the mission. Then again, nobody has ever argued that his men were not effective in doing their job. It could also be that the Sandaime didn't want to lose any more of his men. If they were dealing with Orochimaru, they could be dead already or being held captive to be used for his experiments.

Danzo had worked with the Sannin before and he knew how Orochimaru operated. Even though much of the Intel had nothing to do with him, he would still keep things tight just to mess with his sensei and to hold all the cards. He really should have been eliminated when he fled the village. Danzo had stated that Orochimaru was too dangerous to be left alone, but who listened to him? And now they were making moves because the former Konoha shinobi had formed a village.

"Everything you need to know is the file," the Sandaime Hokage said quietly.

 **Naruto's House**

When Naruto got back home after making a stop at Icharaku to get some takeaway ramen, he found his mother in conversation with Mikoto. It was something that had become a daily occurrence. It was understandable. The woman was the only one who was her really good friend. He was beginning to understand and see the value of friendship. Without anyone to hang out with, his mother would be spending all her days by herself.

Naruto had come to realize that even though his mother didn't have a problem with spending time with him, and enjoyed it every much more than anything, she also needed to be with people her age to talk about things she cannot talk with him. Understanding that had come with conflicted feelings but it brought him a much brighter understanding of how things worked in this world.

Everything explained why she had been insisting back then that he make friends. She knew that she could not be by his side all times. There would be times she had to go out and be with other women. Without friends, he would be home alone bored and if that was the case, she could not really enjoy her life if knew he was home alone, bored.

Naruto didn't want that for his mother.

Hence he had come to understand that friends were necessary. He didn't know how to make them, but he would try to make friends – For his sake and his mother's happiness. He was a little cold to be caring about his happiness even though his mother continuously tells him to make his life enjoyable and have fun.

"Naruto," Kushina said happily as Naruto walked in the living room, holding his hot ramen. "When did you get back?"

Although she sounded happy and looked happy to see him, she didn't walk up to him to give him a hug or anything like that. She just stayed on the couch, with the smiling Mikoto by her side. Naruto wondered if something was wrong. Perhaps she was resisting because Mikoto was present. He shook his head. It wasn't like that. It was probably one of those tough love treatments.

She had been working to get him to learn to be away from her and break away some attachment. It didn't make Naruto happy, but a rational sense in him reasoned that it had to be done because now that he was growing up and he wouldn't always be in his mother's presence. When he grew up, affection wouldn't be shown in the same way as when he was just a child.

Naruto looked at his mother, pushing his thoughts to the back of his head. "Not too long ago," he said smiling before greeting Mikoto.

"How was the mission?"

"It went fine," Naruto said as he sat down. "There wasn't anything that proved to be bothersome and we didn't do much fighting," the blond said to Mikoto who had asked the question. "You both seem good."

"We are," both said simultaneously.

Naruto raised an eye brow. That was a first. He placed his ramen on the small coffee table and looked between his mother and Mikoto. "I'm glad," he said smiling.

Mikoto looked at Kushina for a moment before she stood up. It was Kushina who spoke. "Naruto, walk her out. She wants to speak to you," the redhead Uzumaki said calmly.

Naruto stared at his mother. He had just returned from a mission and he wanted to spend some time with her and this was how things were going to go? He thought she would be more than happy to make up for lost time, but this was normal – normal for other people but abnormal for this family. Things didn't work out like that.

"It is important that I do," Mikoto said quietly.

Before Naruto could say anything, Kushina stood up as well and spoke. "I'll be taking my leave. I have a date with Ino's mother at the hot springs. I might return home a little while later," the woman said smiling. She waved her hand at walked away.

Staring at his mother's back with an expressionless mask on his face, Naruto spoke, "This is just wrong," he said.

Mikoto looked amused. "Your mother does have a life you know. She is your beloved mother and nothing will change that, but she does have to do things that make her happy without you. Being with friends and enjoying her time away can also be relaxing."

Naruto frowned at that. It was still wrong. To think that his mother would do something like this… Naruto had never thought of the possibility, but it was happening and he had to deal with it in a way that wouldn't ruin her happiness. He did want to see his mother after all. He should be happy that she was enjoying her life and would return to him and the end of the day because he was her family.

"What is it that you wish to talk to me about?" Naruto asked.

He suspected it had something to do with both her sons. The woman did know about Itachi's mission and that he knew. It has never been a secret to them of them and they had talked about it. It was the reason the woman called him her hero. The thought still made Naruto happy till this day; to be called a hero even though he hadn't done much. He had merely talked Itachi into making a rational decision.

"Walk with me…"

Naruto looked at his ramen for a moment before looking back at Mikoto. He nodded at her request and followed her as they exited the house. "I never did ask your mother, why do you keep changing places? Sometimes you're here sometimes you're at the Senju compound."

Naruto didn't need to think about the answer. "The compound is a too big for just two people and although it is home, it can never replace this house. This has been our home for a long time and it has so many memories. Besides, in terms of security, it has the best."

Mikoto nodded in understanding. "That makes sense," she said. "But it will still be useful when you do start working on reviving the Uzumaki clan," she paused and looked at the blond – who was walking on her right side. "Wouldn't it be better to make the move permanent when you do try to do that?"

Naruto appeared to think for a moment before he responded. "I have never given that much of a thought," he said quietly. The thought to revive the clan was still there. He could not get away from that.

"Think about it," Mikoto said. "When was the last time you spoke to Itachi?"

Naruto looked into the sky as he walked for a few moments before looking at the road ahead. "At least I know I know no one keeps surveillance on us while in the village. It would be dangerous to speak of this matter as Anbu can read lips," the blond said quietly.

He was Anbu, he knew how those people operated and since they didn't know about Itachi's mission, it was better they did not learn it from him. Anbu could keep secrets but having them know means risking the truth to come out in the open.

"I forget that you're also Anbu," Mikoto said. "If it's not safe, we can talk at my house. Sasuke is still at the academy."

Naruto shook his head. "It is alright. Although the Sandaime has a tendency to spy with his crystal ball, he doesn't hear words and from this angle, he can't read our lips. I don't think he is watching us even."

Mikoto looked at Naruto once again. It was obvious from that statement that he had yet to speak to the Sandaime about the matter, but she was sure that even though they don't speak about it, both knew the truth. She had yet to thoroughly speak about it with the old man either. It was just best with things kept this way. There was an agreement and it was better they didn't break it. Talking about it wouldn't change anything either way.

"I last spoke to Itachi a couple of months ago, but I do send him images of Sasuke."

"Pictures?"

Naruto shook his head. "Itachi gave me Shisui's Sharingan to keep it safe and use it when it is necessary, but that isn't the only Sharingan he gave me to keep safe. Recently, Orochimaru attacked him and tried to take his body for the Sharingan and he has been reluctant to keep it to himself, so he gave it to me since no enemy knows of our connection."

Mikoto seemed to think about what Naruto had just said before she responded. "Fugaku's eyes?"

Naruto nodded. "Danzo took one of Shisui's eyes and knowing that his father also possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, he took them in fear that Danzo would take them for his uses. I have them both, implanted two crows, just in case something happens."

"What do you plan to do with them?"

"Itachi plans to die by Sasuke's hand to redeem the Uchiha and also help awaken Sasuke's Mangekyo. If something happens to Itachi's eyes before his fight with Sasuke and after, and in both cases Sasuke manages to awaken the Mangekyo, he will go blind. The eyes I have are to prevent that from happening."

"And?"

Naruto sighed. "Use them against Sasuke in case he allows his hatred to consume him and ends up walking the wrong path. There is possibility that someone can manipulate him after learning the truth. If that happens, he can hate Konoha and seek its destruction."

Well if Sasuke was going to play in someone's palm, it would be his. He wasn't going to allow the Uchiha to be manipulated by anyone. It has proved to be a little difficult though, but Naruto would get it done. He had learned a lot from the Sandaime for someone like Sasuke to be beyond him.

"I see," Mikoto said quietly. "So you use the Sharingan to send images to Itachi… next time you write to him, tell him that I wish to speak to him. You're doing fine helping Sasuke, but I don't want him to grow up hating his brother in the way he does."

Naruto merely nodded. "I will get that done," he said. "I guess I can also wait for Sasuke until he gets back from the academy. My mother is away, so there is nothing for me to do."

 **End of chapter**

 **I had some problems doing this chapter as I found the mission to be difficult to draw out while showing the different personalities in the team. I've had it for some time but had been keeping it because I thought it to be not the best and I wanted to rewrite it. Weeks went by and I still could not compute anything and so I just decided to post it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Naruto was standing atop of a tree branch, overlooking around 10 shinobi who were gathered around. It was nothing but a bunch of monkeys going through the count of their latest planned conquest. Humans really did disgust him. Pathetic low life creatures that preyed on the weak and only sought nothing but pain and destruction to those they got their hands on.

Humans had plenty of masks they could wear: if it was not the monkeys of Konoha, it was the demons that paraded around the elemental Nations, enjoying their lives by violating others. Whether Konoha's people or not, humans were despicable monkeys. Naruto wasn't going to say that there were not those who were good people. It would be a lie to say everyone was evil and needed to be killed.

There had been good people that he had seen and talked with. But these before him were trash. He wasn't going to waste time with them. Talking to them wasn't even an option. He had no need to speak to lowly insects. They could not understand each other. They spoke a different language and all that was there was for him to squash the bugs before re-joining the Sandaime Hokage.

Sighing thinly, Naruto took out his sword and jumped down the ground, landing on both his feet. He hadn't made a sound when he landed, but they were quick to notice his presence.

"What the fuck do you want brat?!"

Such a foul language. Well, it was to be expected. He was dealing with rotten pieces of trash that needed to be disposed of. He had their death warrants in his hands and he would deliver it without fear or favour. That was why he was here anyway and nothing more would make his itching hands stop.

The blond closed his eyes for a moment: he was alone with no one watching him. He could go wild. He didn't like going wild when there were people watching him. There would be a lot of questions that would annoy him if he were to go wild with people watching him. Annoying talk about his morals would have to be avoided at all costs.

Naruto gripped his sword firmly before he took three steps towards the group. The movements were slow at first but after more steps, he started running towards one man in particular. The shinobi raised his right foot, intent on smacking it with his face. Naruto bent down slightly, facing up as he slid below the high foot.

As he was sliding, Naruto sharpened his sword with wind chakra before slashing it in one fast and fluid movement towards the man's balancing leg. The sword cut through flesh and bone as if were paper, and as soon as Naruto was behind the man, he straightened himself and held his sword in a reserve grip.

The man whose leg he had cut just above the knee joint, blinked as blood begun to gush out of his leg. "Huh?" he couldn't feel pain and he hadn't felt anything. He doubted anyone had seen anything. Pain shot through his leg and he cried as he started to lose his balance with the cut piece of his body separating from the rest. This forced him to fall towards Naruto.

Naruto had anticipated this and as the man was falling towards him; he stabbed him through the back without even looking. His sword pierced through the back around the lower regions and went through the front, appearing around the man's stomach. The blond twisted the sword slightly, causing the man to cry out in pain.

He grabbed the little piece of steel that was visible with his teeth gritted in silent curses and ushered harsh words from his lips. "What are you doing still standing there you worthless pieces of shits! Get over here and attack this little bastard."

He was holding the sword, and he knew he was going to die. He had lost his freaking right foot and blood was leaking out of his mouth. That sword had pierced through some essentials in the insides. He was certain he was going to die. At least he wanted to see the blond chopped into pieces before that.

Naruto reacted quicker than the people he saw as monkeys. He leaned forward as if he were falling forward before raising his left foot. He then kicked back, landing a hit on the man behind him. The kick forced the man to stumble forward. Because neither had let go of his sword, the man was cut through his hands by the blade of the sword as Naruto pulled it.

The blond straightened himself and before he could think of making a move, he was forced to sidestep a punch driven towards his face. The blond took a step to the left while twisting clockwise. He stopped on the side of the man, standing up on his side. He channelled chakra into his left foot and kicked out…well more like stomped on the man's right leg, just around the knee. There was so much force behind the attack that there was sickening crack as the man's leg bended in ways it shouldn't.

What followed then was another cry of pain.

As the man was falling down the ground, clutching his broken leg, Naruto spun around before slamming his outstretched right foot on the man's temple. The kick connected with the forehead brutally and sent the man crashing towards a tree branch.

"Why you little bastard!"

Another shouted, charging towards him. This time another followed the example. They were attacking him front and back. Naruto stood still for a moment. He jumped up when they were just a second from landing hits on him. His jump had been chakra enhanced, and had occurred quickly.

The blond outstretched both his feet once he had reached a good height. Both feet landed on the two attackers, sending them tumbling backwards. Naruto suddenly blurred away from between the two. He appeared behind one of them, with his sword still in hand. He didn't waste time in driving it towards the back of his neck. The blade pierced through, appearing from the man's throat.

Naruto removed the sword by pushing his latest victim towards his next. The man was trying to balance his footing but was still able to catch his bleeding ally. It sickened him seeing blood gushing out of his ally's throat. He tried putting his hand on the gash in order to stop the bleeding.

His body froze when he felt something cold in his chest. He pushed his ally away and looked down and as he did, blood begun to drop out of his mouth. He saw a sword, sticking out of his chest. It had unmistakably pierced through his heart. How come he was still alive then?

Naruto removed the sword and walked a couple of feet away from the falling man before flicking his sword to get rid of the blood on it. That was just about six remaining. Since they were weak, he wouldn't need to spend too much more time with them.

Without any more thoughts, the blond disappeared.

Five of the six were lying on the ground, dead with just the remaining one held by Naruto's right grip. The blond was able to lift up the tall man because he didn't have both his feet. Naruto had brutally cut them from the knees. He didn't mind the blood gushing out of the man.

He channelled chakra into his finger muscles before snapping the man's neck. Without even batting an eyelash, he threw the body away from him and picked up his sword from the ground before sheathing it.

A clone puffed up on his right. The blond didn't have to tell it what to do. The orders were clear. The clone did katon jutsu to burn the bodies as to remove evidence while Naruto left the scene: The brutality of his actions not even on his mind. They were just monkeys. He didn't care.

'I wonder what sort of plan the Sandaime will come up with if he gets a sniff of your thoughts,' Kurama said in a calm tone, yet a sinister grin spreading through his large lips. 'Well, he already knows you have no value for human life.'

Naruto hadn't been intending to speak to the Bijuu but since it had spoken, he could speak. He slowed his movements and landed on the ground, opting to walk instead seeing that he was going to reach the Sandaime in a few minutes even in a walking pace.

'Tell me, do you think humans deserve to be let alone to their own devices?'

The more he thought about humans and their behaviour, the more he thought that some humans didn't deserve to be allowed to live on their own devices. They needed to be controlled for them to stop causing trouble and living in the right way. When left alone, they just did despicable things to others. It was just better to just control them.

Naruto had been thinking that humans needed to be managed for this world to be a better place. Left alone and they would just be doing the same thing over and over again regardless of how much the truth slapped them on their faces and how much they were led towards the correct path. That repetition of the same mistakes troubled Naruto greatly.

Kurama was amused. Naruto was smart. He knew how to act in front of other people. If the Sandaime was thinking that there was just a little bit of darkness inside Naruto, then he was in for a shock. There was so much more that the blond didn't even reveal to his mother; So much more that he was sure that cunning old man would freeze over before he could think of what to do.

'What, thinking of putting the whole world under your spell?'

Naruto shrugged indifferently. 'I am merely considering things. Konoha's population doesn't disgust me as it used to, but they can turn in at any moment and I still don't like them. In case something happens, I must have options.'

'How about taking in everything without a question? You have been that lately. You even left your mother surrounded by those snakes.'

'There is a time to listen and a time to take action. Right now, I am merely acting within my limits,' the blond said. 'Things in Konoha can change at any moment. Without the Sandaime Hokage, I will not be able to get what I want. That will be problematic.'

Kurama laughed. 'Is this why you're playing along with the old man? When he dies, someone you can't manipulate will take charge and you will no longer have the freedom to do what you want…' the Bijuu paused for a moment. 'It almost makes me think that you'd be willing to manipulate Konoha's leadership in order to get what you want.'

Naruto didn't respond to the statement. The conversation was no longer going in the direction he had intended and with the Bijuu not answering his question, there was no need to continue with it. And so, the blond stopped talking and increased his pace slightly.

The blond reached the Sandaime's company minutes later with the old man being flanked by an Anbu. He hadn't questioned why the old man had sent him instead of the experienced Anbu walking beside him. Being that he was given an order, he had simply followed it without question. He could make out the Sandaime's reasons later on.

The Sandaime Hokage smiled at Naruto, seeing him return in one piece. He was relieved that the blond was okay, even though he had sent him knowing that he would return just fine. Naruto wasn't some weak shinobi who could be taken out just by anyone.

"Everything sorted out?" Sarutobi asked, his eyes dancing around Naruto's form.

"Yes," the blond responded quietly with a small nod.

The Sandaime was curious about how Naruto went about his business, but the thought that came to mind was that Naruto killed everyone. Even though the blond was this young, the Sandaime didn't have to worry about him getting all worked out over killing someone. Naruto wouldn't care and he wouldn't have sleepless nights over it.

The blond didn't care about other people after all. The Sandaime highly doubted he even saw those kind of people as humans. It was probable that he saw them as a waste of breath or just trash that was polluting the Elemental Nations. Getting rid of them was the only to go about it and so there would be no regrets.

The Third Hokage was not really fine with that kind of thought. Really, the mind-set bothered him and he was having a hard time trying to figure out how to go about things. He had Naruto enter Anbu because he believed more about the blond would be exposed and he was beginning to see what needed to solved. He couldn't try to solve what he didn't know.

But of course what he was discovering didn't make him the least happy. Naruto was someone who could grow into the perfect emotionless robot Danzo would rejoice to have in his possession. The only thing that made him stray away from Danzo's principle was that Naruto was willing to allow Konoha to burn if it meant protecting his mother.

That was the greatest weakness Naruto had: his mother.

"How has life in Anbu treating you?" the Sandaime said to strike up a conversation with the blond.

It was unusual these days: Naruto talked less with him when they were together. The conversations they usually had were dying little by little and unless he engaged in a talk, Naruto entered the silent mode.

The Sandaime thought it to be dangerous to allow someone with Naruto's mind to spend time in his thoughts. The Sandaime was willing to go as far as to say that the boy was a genius. Rasa had been nothing but full of praises for the blond. But of course he did note if things were not handled carefully, the blond would turn out to be dangerous.

The Sandaime knew that first hand before anyone. Perhaps the other person who knew this was Itachi. The Uchiha had had an understanding with Naruto and they had worked well together. Still, that didn't hide the dangers that Naruto posed.

"Fine," Naruto said. He merely responded out of respect of the Sandaime Hokage. It was a waste of time for the old man to ask him the question when he knew he had people watching his movements. If he was struggling then the old man would know. Well, that is if he allows something to slip.

The possibilities of something like that happening were as rare as rain falling down in the Village Hidden in Sand.

"Just fine, huh?" The Sandaime Hokage paused for a moment before speaking again. "Well I am glad you're doing well. I have been meaning to ask, Jiraiya says your skills are low Jonin at best, why is that?"

Naruto raised an eye brow at the question. "I don't follow," he said. That wasn't really true. He did get where the old man was going with things, but they had a policy that they ought to be clear with everything that they say.

"While it is impressive that you've reached this level at this stage, I think someone of your genius should have been much stronger, especially when protecting your mother has been the reason you live," The Sandaime explained lightly.

Naruto had also received training from him and Kakashi. Given how much the blond liked to get his hands dirty when fighting for his mother, the Sandaime expected something much bigger than what the blond was showing. Itachi had also trained him and that Jiraiya had done so as well. During the years he was away, he focused on his training it hadn't been a training regime that a normal person could survive.

Naruto had been pushing himself to his limits with his training. So why hadn't he reached his limits for someone his age?

Naruto's eyes went towards the Anbu walking beside the Sandaime Hokage and looked back at the road ahead of them. "What do you want to know?"

"Is this all you can do?"

"That is a good question that will have an answer one day," Naruto answered calmly. He wasn't going to add anything to it even if the Sandaime does try to push for more details. Fortunately, the old man got the hint and went on to another matter.

"I have been thinking," the old man started in a mildly serious tone. "You have been highly tolerant of my requests lately and seem to just accept everything that is ordered for you to do…" the aged eyes of the god of shinobi turned towards the young boy on his right.

Their eyes met: Naruto was looking back at him with calculating eyes. There was just a flash of it for a moment before they turned expressionless. He blinked and looked back at the road ahead, but did not say anything.

The Sandaime Hokage spoke once again. "I think that you preparing for the future."

Naruto looked amused for a moment before he wiped off the look with acid. "The future, huh? How do you prepare for something that you cannot control? We certainly do make plans for our futures, but time doesn't always favour us and life often drags surprises in a bundle. Some things cannot be planned for. We just have to wait for tomorrow to arrive and tackle it."

The Professor was silent for a few moments. "It is certainly true that there are things that are beyond our control, but there are things that are not. When you observe people keenly, you are will be able to predict what they will do tomorrow and how they will react when something happens. With that information, you're able to make your own plans having taken into account the possibilities that may or may not occur."

Well, that is essentially about manipulating people and Naruto was not afraid to point it out. "You're talking about manipulating people," the blond said. "If you cannot get what you want, you will try to push things to get in your favour."

The old man merely smiled. "Don't we all try to push things to work in the way we like? If we allowed things to just go the way life wants, nothing in life would really please us. Every one of us has a desire we will pull and push in order for that desire to be fulfilled," he paused for a moment, as he looked up. "I'm saying that even you have your desires and will do what you can to make sure they are realized."

Naruto said nothing. It wasn't because he agreed or disagreed with the Sandaime's statement: he just didn't have anything he could add. No, he could add something. The old man just hadn't asked him anything. He had merely made a statement and Naruto had the freedom to choose whether he could respond to it or not.

"You have not made it a secret that your mother comes first before Konoha and those elders as well as clan heads know very well that you'd forsake the village in the blink of an eye if it meant protecting your mother."

Naruto showed no emotion to it, but he did respond. "A foolish mistake on my part," he said.

The wisest thing to do had been to keep it to himself not broadcast it for all to see. He really hoped that it doesn't come back to haunt him in the days to come. Well, he had been young back then. It couldn't be helped.

The Sandaime was very much aware that the foolish part Naruto was referring to wasn't that he didn't care about Konoha; it was that he hadn't bothered to hide it in the eyes of those people that he didn't care about the village. Granted his position, it had been a risky move, but one that had allowed the old man to make his movements.

"You can say that," the old man said calmly.

He really wished that there could be a day that the blond would say he cared for Konoha, but the reality was that Naruto had no attachment to Konoha and that would prove to be a problem in the future. No one would want a Jinchuriki who would rather have his village destroyed than save it.

"There haven't been movements to try to educate you to love Konoha because I have been firm on my stance with you," the old man continued. "If it were really up to some people, they would have had you taken up by Danzo to be raised by him. With the early signs of indifference towards Konoha you showed, they would have done so if I had been weak.

"But since your return from your time away, you haven't been bluntly showing that you don't care about Konoha. Really, you have been doing nothing but work for the village. Of course that will not convince some people, but it might convince some. Loyalty is a very important thing in a shinobi's life. Towards Konoha, you do not have that and that makes some people nervous. You have discovered this, haven't you Naruto?"

"I have," Naruto said without going into detail about it.

"And you have realized that you have been safe because of my efforts. But should I disappear, everything will change. I will no longer be able to stop anyone from doing anything to you. Jiraiya will definitely be on your side, but that doesn't guarantee anything. This is why you're taking corrective measures now," the Sandaime paused, as he put on a serious mask on his face. "What would you do if they turned on you, Naruto?"

Naruto's answer didn't need to be searched – it was right at the tip of his tongue. "Whatever is necessary," that was his response.

The Sandaime Hokage frowned. He had feared something like that. Naruto would do anything to protect himself and his mother. That old man had no doubt about that. He needed to play his cards right to ensure that Naruto learned a few things and that no one had any plans to do something towards Naruto in case something happens to him.

Sarutobi had no doubt that if someone tried something, there would be hell to pay.

Naruto was willing to let some things slide, but he was sure betrayal was not one of them, especially if it would have an effect on his mother. He had little doubt that Konoha would see a vengeful Naruto in that moment and given how much of 'player' the blond was, nothing good would come out of it.

Ah, his job was really troublesome. When were things just going to come easy for him? When faced by situations like this, he had to make troublesome decisions that would end up making him look like a cold monster. But that came with the job. Sometimes the only choice he had to make was one that would leave him looking like he had stolen an idea from Danzo's playbook.

"Let us hope that things will not take us to the extreme," the Sandaime said in a tired tone. If it came to making a choice, the Hokage would make a choice. That is what he took the job for.

Naruto didn't offer a response, but he really hoped that things would not lead him to make some choices of his own. He was not about to walk into that kind of tomorrow without making plans to counter things. He needed to be comfortable with his life and his mother needed to stay happy in the Hidden Leaf. Her life couldn't be happy anywhere.

But of course he had learned that she could also adapt to other places. The village they'd been living in during their time with Jiraiya had proved that much, but she was a lot happier when she was in Konoha. Naruto was willing to respect that, and besides, he would rather not have the entire Hidden Leaf coming after him.

He was a Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi and those people wouldn't want him to take away their weapon away from them. The Bijuu could be used against them and so they would rather he not leave. They would be more than willing to strip him of the Bijuu if they had to do. Naruto was sure Danzo would be willing to offer the way out for him if he could.

Naturally, Naruto wasn't going to allow that to happen. The Bijuu was sealed into him and they would only be separated by death. He was not going to allow anyone to separate them.

The Sandaime looked at the silent blond for a moment before looking at the road ahead; they should be reaching the capital in about an hour or less. So they could afford to keep this leisurely pace. Once they do get to the Daimyo, they would hold the talks and sleep in for the night and by tomorrow morning; they would be disappearing from the capital. He could not really allow his presence to be missing for far too long in the Hidden Leaf with Danzo still breathing.

 **Daimyo's Palace**

Although Naruto didn't show any outward reaction, he was really surprised to see such a large building. Well, it really shouldn't be a surprise. The Daimyo controlled the entire Fire country and was the leader of the government. He had to be loaded, especially with the fact that this country was the strongest of the Five Greatest Nations.

What would he do with all these power the man had in his command? The answer was really obvious. He would use it for his own desires. Humans could stay in their shackles for all he cared. He truly hoped that the Daimyo will be more than a monkey though. It would be a disappointment if the man turns out to be conniving snake.

Naruto shook his head at the hypocrisy. Was it just wrong when someone was doing it and not him?

The Sandaime Hokage smiled at the guards as they were led into the palace. Naruto was as calm as he usually was. The air around him seemed untouchable. He was sure the blond had a motive for coming here and the old man wasn't going to make it easy for him to play his game.

He didn't have to worry about Naruto showing the right manners in front of the Feudal Lord. The blond's attire was formal. It really gave the old man thoughts about it. Naruto could follow formalities, but his choice of wearing formal attire really stood out. The 'why' bothered him as it didn't give him any answers. Or perhaps he just frowned at the answers he got.

"Hiruzen," the Feudal Lord called with a smile as his fellow old man was escorted into his office within the palace.

"Daimyo-sama," the Sandaime Hokage responded politely. "You will have to forgive me for requesting that we talk within my arrival. I really cannot afford to be away from Konoha for far too long. With shinobi, something is always lurking and you must be there to stop it."

The Feudal Lord waved his hand dismissively. "It is quite alright, but I do expect you to stay the night."

"Of course," the Sandaime Hokage said. He pointed at his right, "This is young Naruto," he said.

Naruto bowed slightly as he spoke. "Uzumaki Naruto," the blond said. "I was most honoured when I was informed that you wanted to see me, Daimyo-sama."

The Daimyo smiled as he sat down. The blond didn't appear stiff as if he was being forced to bow. It seemed to just come naturally like he had been doing it for some time. "I'm glad you could make it, young Naruto," the old man said. "Please have a seat."

The two did as told before the Sandaime took out a file from his robes. "I came with gifts," he said as he handed the file to the Daimyo.

The Feudal Lord took the file and looked through it for a few moments. His eyes showed no surprise at what he was reading. He looked back at the Sandaime Hokage before placing the file inside a drawer on his desk.

"You can never really trust anyone these days," the Feudal Lord said. "When you think you can trust people, they do this to you. Can I trust you, Hiruzen?"

"Haven't I always been supportive?" The Sandaime responded calmly.

The Feudal Lord nodded. "Yes, you have always been supportive. We have been working together for far too long. You have been Hokage for too long. Say have you thought of leaving the job for someone?"

Hiruzen smiled. "I will retire when you do, Daimyo-sama."

The Feudal chuckled slightly. "Well, you will have to wait a little longer," he said before turning to Naruto. "I presume that you have been training him. I have to ask this question, can I trust you, Naruto-kun? I have had a good working relationship with the Sandaime and I think I would get along with anyone who was trained by the Sandaime Hokage."

Naruto smiled. "Trust is the string that holds a relationship together. Without trust, a relationship cannot be fruitful. There will always be second guessing and suspicious assumptions. Having said that, I know that trust isn't something that can be gained just like that," he paused for a moment, bowing his head slightly. "But to answer your question: you can trust me, Daimyo-sama and I hope my actions will be enough to prove that I am trust worthy."

The Sandaime was officially worried. It was apparent that Naruto had learned to play around people. the blond of before wouldn't have bothered smiling to the Daimyo and he certainly wouldn't be acting like this. This was truly a problem. What was Naruto really after?

Did he want to get in the good books of the Daimyo just so he could have a safe passage in case something happens in Konoha? That was the only thing the Sandaime Hokage could think of and it was the only scenario that seemed likely, especially given the kind of person Naruto was.

The Feudal Lord did not have the same thoughts as the Sandaime Hokage. He merely smiled at Naruto. "You're a shinobi, correct?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes," he said.

"Have you killed someone before?"

"Yes," Naruto said. Killing worthless monkeys wasn't all that difficult. He had done it before and he wouldn't be against doing it again. Well, he was a shinobi and death came with the job.

"Excellent," the Daimyo said happily. "I'm sure the Sandaime knows everything about the matter he just brought to me. I want you to handle it this night. He will brief you. The people in my council are here in my palace because tomorrow we will be discussing your budget proposal. If Naruto solves this little problem without any troubles, I will make sure that by tomorrow night, the new budget is signed."

"Consider it done, Daimyo-sama," Naruto responded calmly.

The Sandaime was not too pleased by this development, but he wasn't all worried about Naruto. On their way to this place, Naruto had been killing some people. But he didn't like the thought that killing was becoming a regular thing in Naruto's life that he didn't even think twice when the task was put before him.

On the other hand, he was glad that Konoha would get some improvements on the budget. That would really lesson the burden a bit.

 **Konoha**

Danzo looked at the Uchiha before him. He could call it luck that the Sandaime was away from the village. This meant that he could turn his eyes on the Uchiha. If things had gone his way, the boy would have become the last remaining Uchiha. Well, he wasn't complaining. The remaining Uchiha were a bit harmless and the clan needed to be rebuilt. He figured that process will never be completed until Sasuke steps into his mother's shoes.

Danzo cursed that woman for being stubborn. She refused to allow him to train her son, but was willing to 'forget' that he approached her because she didn't want trouble. It was apparent that she wasn't fond of him. The war hawk didn't give a damn about that. He just wanted to have the young Uchiha under his control.

If he could do that, then would in the future he would have the Uchiha clan under control. Because of her stubbornness, Danzo had contemplated in having her removed. It was without doubt that it was her presence that was making the boy to grow some attachments. He needed something bigger to motivate him. Losing his mother would be a big motivation.

For now, the thought was out of the window though. He wanted to play it safe.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the war hawk stated, his eyes looking down at the young Uchiha.

"Who are you?" Sasuke more or less demanded, eyes firmly glaring back at the crippled war hawk.

He had been abducted from his training by some goons because he had simply refused to go with them. He wasn't about to just be ordered around by just anyone. It was enough that Naruto ordered him around, but having someone else he didn't know try to boss him wasn't acceptable. He hated it and would not allow for it.

"Shimura Danzo, an elder in this village," Danzo responded calmly. He could allow the disrespectful tone to slide for now.

"What do you want?"

"I wish to offer you the power you require. I am in charge of an elite organization that is better than Konoha's Anbu. I can train you to become strong enough to kill Itachi. He was after all one of my agents at some point," Danzo stated calmly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What kind of power are you talking about?"

"You can only see it if you agree to my offer. But I do assure you, if you accept it, I can make help you get the same eyes as Itachi in no time…" Danzo snapped his fingers. "Let me show you what my trained children can do."

 **Later**

Security within the palace was really lax, well, just around his target's quarters. The Feudal Lord had done his part to ensure that things went up easy. He really didn't need his palace in scream mode should someone discover this during the night. The old man wanted to have his good night sleep and he would deal with everything tomorrow. If things are discovered in the morning, he would have the time and energy to hide things.

Well since he was planning it, he would be able to handle things without too much fuss. Of course there would be a demand for some investigation and since the old man didn't want it to look as if he was the one who ordered the assassination, he would have people do an investigation.

This just meant that Naruto had to be careful as he goes about his duty. He didn't have to make a mess of things like leaving a trace of his presence behind or anything that would be traced back to him. He needed to do this cleanly and return to the Sandaime without anyone noticing him. He had to be quiet about it even since there were guards outside the quarters.

Naruto had used the ceiling to sneak into the place of his target as it was safe and he could get in and out without anyone noticing his presence. The blond jumped down on the floor silently and followed the layout of the place within his head as he moved towards the man's room.

He calmed his breathing standing next to the door. How was he going to go about this? Should he use a kunai? A kitchen knife or just a senbon? He decided the latter would do. He just had to make his movements right and everything would be well.

Naruto placed his hand on the door knob and silently twisted it. After a few seconds, he slowly opened the door. The door made a sound, causing him to halt. He peeked through the door and saw no movements and the lights were still switched off. He sighed in relief before continuing to open the door.

Once there was enough space for him to slip in, Naruto went inside the room. The bed was clearly visible. It was a large bed that was housing two people. One was a young lady and the other was fat old man who had his hands all over the young lady.

Naruto stared with disgust. How could a young lady defile herself by sharing a bed with such trash? It was really disgusting. But he was not here for that. He just had to kill the fat scumbag and get out of the place. But of course, he would have to do something about the young lady. It would be a disaster if she wakes up in the middle of the night and finds her partner dead. The loud scream that would cause trouble would certainly fill the palace.

The blond snaked towards the left side of the bed. There was a stinking smell and the blankets were kicked all over the bed. Filthy pigs.

Naruto's index finger glowed with chakra before he placed it on the lady's head. It was a technique he learned with becoming Anbu. It would make sure that the woman remained sleeping throughout the night regardless of what happened beside her. Of course she would wake up with a major migraine, but Naruto wasn't worried about that.

With the partner silently down, Naruto moved to the other side of the bed and slowly climbed with a senbon on his right hand. As he was doing so, the fat big didn't move a muscle. Naruto was forced to turn him over because he wanted the forehead.

The eyes of the target suddenly snapped open. Naruto didn't make a sound. He just froze his body and whispered a few words with his eyes staring at the target. He used genjutsu before adding wind chakra into the senbon on his hand. In a fluid movement, he flung the senbon straight into the man's forehead. The projectile pierced through the head, causing the man to come out of his genjutsu.

Naruto quickly placed his hand on his mouth, covering it and then drove his left hand towards the man's throat. The silent struggle only occurred for a few seconds before the man stopped struggling. Just to make sure the man was dead; Naruto pulled the senbon out of the man's head and pierced through the heart.

He didn't leave the senbon behind as he silently disappeared.

When he returned to the given rest place, he found the Sandaime Hokage waiting for him, but the Anbu he had come with was nowhere to be seen. The old man had his pipe blowing some smoke. "I trust everything went well," he said.

Naruto took off the blank mask he had been wearing and nodded. "I'm going to bed," he said before walking past the old man.

Once he was out of the way, an Anbu flashed beside the old man. "No mess, Sandaime-sama," the Anbu said.

The old man nodded. "You should take some rest as well. I wish to stay a little bit longer to think over some things."

With Naruto

When Naruto walked into his room, he was welcomed by a loathsome presence that was responsible for the way his life had turned out. The mask and that hateful Sharingan. There could only be one person who wore that mask and that was the person who extracted the Kyuubi from his mother and then forced his father into sacrificing himself.

This was the man who called himself Uchiha Madara and a person Naruto didn't like very much. Perhaps that was an understatement, but this was still the man who was responsible for the pain his mother experienced.

Even so, when faced by the masked man, Naruto's expression was just blank. There was not even a raise of the eye brow or a slight twitch on his face. He just stared at the man before him as the door shut behind him. There was not even a thought of charging towards the man. It would be a foolish move and Naruto had graduated from the fools' academy to be making such amateurish decisions.

The man wore that cloak: Akatsuki cloak. He was the same person Itachi feared, but Naruto did not. He wasn't like Itachi.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Obito started, looking at the young boy before him. "Itachi speaks highly of you with his partner. I can see that he has not been exaggerating…"

The blond didn't look like he was going to attack and his presence hadn't drawn the slightest of reactions from him. The blond looked calm as if before him wasn't the man who was responsible for the Kyuubi's rampage. What a curious child.

"What do you want?"

Obito looked on for a few moments before he responded. "I don't really know what you talk to Itachi about, but I know that there is lot more happening and I know the truth about the Uchiha incident that had Itachi named as an S-rank criminal."

If Obito was looking for a reaction from Naruto, he did not get it. In fact, Naruto's response was a simple, "So?"

Obito had to blink at that baffling response. That wasn't expected. Really. "I'd come to see if Itachi has been talking to you about with regards to our organization. I know he still has connection with you."

Naruto stared at the man for a long minute. "I'm not at liberty to discuss anything with you and really, I don't like you very much to be talking to you in this kind of position."

Obito took slow and purposeful steps towards the blond. Still, there wasn't that reaction from Naruto that would make him happy. The blond just stared back at him with that expressionless face of his. Really, he could not tell if the blond really hated him or not. He could not begin to figure out what was going inside that small head.

The blond was just completely unreadable.

"There will be a time that I will request what is inside of you, and if you really do love your mother, you will give it."

Naruto's flickered into a cold generator for a split second. "I see," he said.

"If you become obedient, perhaps you can be of some use. You hate the people of this world and I want to create a world that will not have those kind of people you hate. The world I wish to create is one that is gentle and one that you can actually be happy and not even for a second will you have to worry about your mother," Obito stated. "Not even for a second. If you want your father back, you can even have him back. It will be a world where even your deepest desires can exist."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Itachi won't stop telling you things, but he also won't refuse doing what we order him to do. I need his power for my dream. That means I must accommodate you as well as you're a precious Jinchuriki…" having said that, Obito disappeared.

Naruto's expression was replaced by a really really deep scowl as the man disappeared.

He had three Mangekyo Sharingans in his possession, he could work something out. Itachi had given him Shisui's eye. He could reprogram it to do what he wanted. It didn't matter who the person was and how powerful the person was. That Sharingan could enslave anyone. Not even Itachi who was a genjutsu master could escape from its power. it had the ultimate genjutsu after all.

Naruto had found his first target.

'I really like you when you think like this,' Kurama said. 'For the first time I will be happy at the use of the cursed doujutsu. The Uchiha's use it to manipulate others, it will be a joy to see them being manipulated by their own doujutsu. I will be more than willing to give you my power to make it happen.'

'How do we go about that?'

'Implant the Sharingan into your eye socket. You don't have to be good at it; I will heal any damage incurred. When that human comes to you again, you will use it, and to make it effective, I will give you my chakra. You can even drag him to my domain and use that other Sharingan as backup,' Kurama offered. 'I can make it happen, but only on one condition.'

'What?'

'After the deed is done, you will remove that cursed eye.'

Naruto snorted. 'Paranoid are we? You are afraid that I will also use it on you?' Naruto didn't wait for a response. Well, he was certain the Bijuu wouldn't respond to that. 'Fine, you have an agreement.'

 **The Following Day**

The Sandaime Hokage had to close his eyes as he enjoyed the comfort of his chair within his office. It had just been a day, but for how long had he been waking to stare into these walls? It had been too long. Very long and yet he was still looking forward to many more years in this chair.

For now, there was no one who could take the position and so he had to stay in the game. Really, he didn't need anyone who would be taking over from him just to bend to the demands of his former teammates and Danzo's schemes. At least the war hawk was staying away from Naruto for now. He had been very serious about hanging the war hawk's head at the Hokage Monument if he made a move on Naruto.

Speaking of the blond; the Third looked at Naruto before speaking. "You have the next two days off. You can spend the time with your mother and reacquaint yourself with Ino-chan," the old man paused for a moment. "When was the last time you spoke to her?"

"Some days ago," Naruto said a bit indifferently.

"You shouldn't forget your friends Naruto," the old man said firmly. "Well, it isn't like that girl will allow you to forget her. She has a rather strong personality," the old man with a smile.

"She does," Naruto said with a nod. "I will take my leave now…" Naruto said before disappearing from the office.

The Sandaime Hokage just blinked before shaking his head. He stared at the stacks of paper that were on his desk and frowned. Suddenly, he wished he had remained at the Feudal Lord's palace for a little while longer. But then he thought, if he had stayed a bit longer, the paperwork would have been hitting the ceiling.

 **Uchiha Compound**

When Naruto didn't find his mother at their house, he was almost certain that he would find her at the Uchiha compound. Sure she did go out a bit more often these days, but this place had been like their other home. Could he really forget that he used have dinners with the Uchihas those days Fugaku was still breathing and Itachi was still visible around the village?

Things had changed now, well not completely. They were still close to the Uchihas. What had changed was how people viewed Itachi. Naruto found it to be amusing that they now cursed his name and said he was a crazy bastard who got corrupted by power and turned on his own clan. They had been praising him as a different breed from all other Uchihas and now they cursed his very existence.

Of course the rumours didn't really bother Naruto too much to actually worry or be mad about it even though he knew the truth. Itachi knew what he was getting himself into when he made the choice and since it was really human nature to turn quickly, Naruto wasn't surprised.

"Naruto," Kushina said happily as Naruto walked into the kitchen within Mikoto's house. "You're back in one piece. I was thinking perhaps the Feudal Lord would try to have a piece of you remain in his palace."

Naruto smiled at his mother as he walked up to her side. He stood beside her before he responded. "Even if he is the Daimyo, I would have said no right there and then. It would have been a firm no even."

Kushina laughed. "I can really imagine you saying that," she said with a shake of her head.

"The Sandaime would try to play the peace maker after that kind of response," Mikoto added with a smile of her own. "How was the trip though? Did they treat you well?"

Naruto nodded. "The food there was rather pleasant and the atmosphere wasn't all that bad at all," Naruto responded calmly. "The journey was as safe as it could be. I trust nothing bad actually occurred in my absence."

"All is well," Kushina said.

Naruto nodded. He was conflicted right now as he didn't know which choice to make. He could choose to stay here and join in the ladies in their conversation, but he really didn't want to intrude. With Sasuke within the compound, he could go on to train the Uchiha for about an hour and then return home along with his mother.

That could work. He still had the rest of tomorrow all free. He could do something with his mother together tomorrow. Naruto nodded to himself. Other than dinner and a few conversations, he hasn't been doing anything with his mother like he used to and he was missing those days. He could make it possible.

"Sasuke is at the training ground," Mikoto said to Naruto.

The blond nodded and looked at his mother. "Don't leave without me. I wont take much time with Sasuke. So we can leave together later on."

Kushina smiled. "Just go. I wasn't planning on leaving you behind anyway," she said calmly. "Don't forget to get along with Sasu-chan," the redhead Uzumaki said.

"Hai hai," Naruto said with a wave of his right hand as he disappeared from the presence of the two women.

"He is growing," Mikoto said looking at the space Naruto had been occupying moments earlier. "I mean things have really changed."

"Well, I have been forcing him to learn to live without seeing me every time he blinks. He needs to get used to it because things will not always be like that as he grows. If I'd allowed things to go as they were, I would have a problem when he does grow," Kushina said.

Mikoto nodded. "Well, you want him to grow up enough to learn to live on his own and maybe get someone to love, huh," she said with a small smile.

Kushina nodded. "Well, there is Temari and Ino. I have grown to love Temari though," the woman said.

"I must meet her one these days," Mikoto said. "I wish to approve of anyone who wishes to take my Naruto away from me," the woman added with a smile. "We both have problems though. I have mine that is called Sasuke and his obsession with his brother," she added with a frown.

"He is getting better," Kushina offered.

"Yes," Mikoto said with a nod. "He is, but I still worry. Well, at least he doesn't snap when someone mentions Itachi and he does smile a bit more these days. Having a mother really does help. I can't really imagine how he would have turned out if I wasn't here."

"Well, let us be happy that you are alive to raise him," Kushina said. "Raising both Naruto and Sasuke would've been the death of me."

"I can't help but agree with that," Mikoto said with a nod.

 **Training Ground**

Sasuke stopped his excises as he looked at the incoming blond. What to do? Naruto had really started as a bully before him and his mother was insisting that he get along with the blond. She wanted for them to become friends, but the blond was nothing of that kind. Really, Sasuke didn't see the need to go that far, but his mother was insisting. Now that he thought of it, Naruto's mother had been pushing for the blond to make friends as well.

Were had that disappeared off too?

The young Uchiha shook his head and stared at those expressionless eyes for a long minute. With Naruto's help, he was really improving and if the blond was in Anbu, it meant that he was really strong. Sasuke didn't doubt that Naruto was strong, but how strong was really the question that begged an answer.

Naruto stopped just in front of Sasuke and settled down. "I'm a bit worn out today," the blond started. "I won't be doing anything that will be too taxing," he said calmly.

Sasuke just grunted in response. It was always like this. How was he supposed to be friends with someone who spoke to him like this? Obviously, the blond saw him as just the Uchiha he needed to bully in the pretence of training.

"Speak your mind," Naruto said to Sasuke seeing that the Uchiha was having an internal struggle.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in curiosity. There was no usual sternness in Naruto's tone, but just an invitation. "Why are you being like this?" 

Naruto looked on for a moment, "I've grown fond of your mother and if I'm bad to you, it doesn't really please her," the blond said. "Besides, it is rather troublesome having to be rough all the time. I get tired of all the yelling and hitting. Sometimes I just wish for words without threats to get through," the blond explained lightly.

Sasuke stared at Naruto before shaking his head as he sat down as well. "Why do you not hate Itachi?"

"Who said I don't hate him?" Naruto asked curiously as the question from the Uchiha.

"You have never spoken anything bad about him, nor does my mother and I have noticed that you seem to get along with her. In any case, I can tell that you don't really hate him," Sasuke said in a firm tone.

"Is it wrong that I don't hate him? Would you prefer it if I hate him?" Naruto asked in a quiet tone.

"I don't know if it would be right or wrong, but I would have understood it if you hated him. He was your friend and you really did get along with him, more than I was willing to permit. Honestly, I was jealous of your relationship with him. He trained with you more than he did with me, his own brother!" Sasuke ended by shouting bitterly.

Naruto tilted his head to the side as his eyes looked at the Uchiha calculatedly. "I see you are now using that head of yours," he said.

Sasuke glared at Naruto. This was what he hated.

Naruto waved his right hand, "I was complementing you," the blond said calmly.

"By insulting me?" Sasuke demanded. He calmed himself and turned to the main subject. "MY mother doesn't hate him as well. All she speaks about him are good things and she still smiles when she speaks of him. It frustrates me. How can she not hate him after what he did? How can you not hate him after what he did?"

"Your mother doesn't hate him because he is her son and no matter what happens, Itachi will always be her son. Whether you hate him or not, he will always be your brother. You can deny it and shout to the heavens and say that man is not my brother, but no matter what, he will always be your brother, and to your mother, you will always be her second child. Nothing can change that. It is what you call a mother's love," Naruto explained slightly. "As for me, I don't hate him because he is my friend and he has not wronged me. Also, I understand the why."

"Why what?!"

"Why he did what he did?"

"He did it because he wanted to test his powers. That is what he said to me!"

"Really?" Naruto asked with his head tilted to the side. "How little do you know your brother? Did you really know your brother, Sasuke? Had it occurred to you that he may have been lying about that? If you think about how much your brother loved you, and compare it to what you have in your mind right now, can you really say they are the same people?"

Sasuke frowned deeply. It was true that the images were a contrast and that his brother was a loving person while 'that' Itachi was a murderous person. Still he could not forget what he saw. He could not forget what that man said to him.

The Uchiha shook his head and changed the subject. "Danzo appeared. Well, he dragged me," Naruto had said to tell him if Danzo approached him.

"What did he want?"

"He was offering me power to kill that traitorous brother of mine," Sasuke said.

"You will not accept his offer," Naruto said firmly.

Allowing Danzo to train Sasuke would be a failure on his part. Itachi had tasked him to protect and look after his younger brother. Danzo was a corrupt and conniving devil that he could not allow near Sasuke. The war hawk would certainly fill the Uchiha's head with some nonsense and that would undo all his work.

This meant that he had to have a talk with that man. A serious talk.

Naruto stood up, "Let us see how you have come," he said inviting Sasuke to attack him.

About an Hour Later

When Naruto returned to the house, he was welcomed by Mikoto, who smiled warmly at him. "Have you managed to do something about what we talked about?"

Naruto nodded, "I have," he said. "I will try to convince him if he needs to be convinced the next time I do see him. It won't be long though," the blond said. "Has Danzo approached you about Sasuke?"

Mikoto looked stared for a moment before she responded. "Yes," she said.

"I see," Naruto said. "Well, Mikoto, I will see you tomorrow hopefully and you need not worry about Danzo. I will not permit him to go near Sasuke. That corrupt monkey will not do anything to your son. For everything he has done, he has some nerve sneaking up to Sasuke."

Although he was still just a child and Danzo was a war veteran, Mikoto believed it when Naruto said she would not allow Danzo get near her son. How could she not believe the words of her beloved hero? He was not the one to be joking around.

"I will reward you one of these days. Well, when you have grown old enough," Mikoto said a bit slyly.

Naruto looked confused for a moment but he just nodded and turned away from the woman. He found his mother waiting for him at the entrance. The Uzumaki held out her right and Naruto felt no shame in taking it as the two left Mikoto's house.

"Everything went okay with Sasuke?"

"Surprisingly, yes," Naruto said. "He surprised me today," the blond added. "I'm not on duty tomorrow. Can we do something together?"

"At lunch or later on," Kushina said. "I took a part time job at the flower shop. You know, it isn't being fun being around the house all day. I need to do something when I'm not helping Mikoto-chan. Besides, what kind of a mother would I be, if I am content with allowing my 12 year old son to be the one to bring food to the table?"

"A mother who enjoys being taken care of by her son?" Naruto offered.

 **I think I drew this one pretty well. Felt like I was on the right gear when writing it. I don't know when the next chapter will come, but I will try to work it out soon.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Naruto was inside the study that once belonged to his father; he was now making the study his own since he was the man of the house. His mother was out at work, and since he didn't want to be a bother, he decided to stay behind while doing some work. He would be joining her for lunch anyway.

The blond was looking through some scrolls on the notes that dealt with Konoha's leadership. His father had been Hokage and although it hadn't been for a long time, he had had the time to gather valuable information about how things worked within the village Hidden in Leaves. Naruto was going through those notes in order to be able to clearly see where his future lied without the Sandaime Hokage.

He was even looking for potential successors to the Sandaime Hokage. Jiraiya was out of the picture as the man has apparently refused to take the job once when it was given to him and Naruto had observed the man hard enough to be able to tell that he would never take the mantle even if it was given to him once again.

Drawing a list of possibilities wasn't that difficult and Naruto's first thought was Danzo. From the notes he had looked at it was no doubt that the war hawk desired to be Hokage and according to the Sandaime, he had tried to take the seat by force.

Given that the Sandaime has stripped the war hawk of most of his powers within the Village, he was now reduced to running political schemes to gain support of the villagers as a respected and powerful elder of the village. The Sandaime Hokage was surely not blind to this but he could not stop the man from gaining the support he was trying to gain.

Naruto was certain that it was only so that the man would not have much opposition when he does try to fight for the position of Hokage. Once he has attained the power, he would no doubt care less about what the villagers think.

The blond wasn't worried about Konoha's future; he was worried about his own. If Danzo took the position, he would really make things for him difficult and he would have no choice but to flee from the village. His mother was not going to be against the idea because she would know that staying behind would mean that he would be forced to become Danzo's weapon.

Not that Naruto would willingly take that up. He would refuse. If he was to become a weapon, it would be a weapon used for the protection of his mother and nothing else.

Naruto closed everything before him and decided it was about time he went to see the war hawk. The man wouldn't make a move to him with the Sandaime Hokage having threatened him with death if he made a move.

It didn't take Naruto too long to find the war hawk. He knew where the old man was usually occupied within these times of the day and it was the Hokage Tower. As an elder and a former advisor of the Sandaime as well as a member of the village's council, the war hawk did have an office within the place.

Naruto just figured the office was really used to spy on the Sandaime Hokage than anything.

When Naruto got into the office, he found the war hawk in the company of his two scheming friends. The blond looked around the room for a moment before his eyes went to Danzo. "I wish to speak to you," he said looking straight at the war hawk.

Koharu looked at the blond with an expressionless look on her face. The blond had seemingly decided to ignore them in favour of demanding something from Danzo. From that tone alone, it wasn't hard to tell that the blond wasn't asking that Danzo speak to him, but telling him that he wanted to talk to him.

"I have been telling Hiruzen that he shouldn't take things lightly with the boy," she said with a shake of her head. "Now look at what we have? A disrespectful child and a shinobi who doesn't care about Konoha and a Jinchuriki no less. What a waste of potential."

"He has always been soft and unable to make the hard decisions that must be made," Danzo commented idly. "The fact that the child is related to our previous Hokage doesn't really mean much… in any case, allow me to handle this," Danzo finished calmly, his attention no longer at war colleagues, but at Naruto.

Koharu and Homura didn't say anything to Danzo; they just stepped out of the office. Once the two were out of sight, Danzo spoke once more. "What do you want, Jinchuriki?"

He hadn't actually expected the blond to come before him. If he said he wasn't surprised, it would be a white lie. If Mikoto had appeared, then he would have understood since he had approached her son, but this brat? No: it was not expected. He understood that the blond wasn't an idiot and was actually very smart for his age.

Naruto didn't give a physical reaction at being called Jinchuriki. He was a Jinchuriki, so it didn't really matter much to him, but still the fact that it was being said by this conniving bug kind of rubbed off him the wrong way. Even so, Naruto didn't comment on that.

"I'm told that you called Sasuke into your cave and tried to bribe him with power," Naruto stated calmly.

"And what if I did?"

"Don't do it again."

Danzo rarely looked amused, but this time he was amused. What did this child think he was before him? If Danzo really wanted to, he could take him by force and teach him some manners without the Sandaime Knowing and even after that, he would wipe off those memories just in case he tries to talk. Danzo has been living for far too many years and this was the first time a mere boy had shown him this much disrespect.

"For someone who was associated with Itachi, I thought you would be smarter than this," Danzo said calmly.

"Smarter than what..?" Naruto asked calmly. "Perhaps you have been snaking through the sand too much that you're now hearing things because of the sand in your ears. You're saying this because you think I am making a threat, correct?" Naruto shook his head. "You don't need to answer that. You're making that statement because you presume I am threatening you to stay away from Sasuke."

Danzo blinked. He had honestly not expected that kind of response from the blond. He looked curious for a few more moments before asking calmly. "Why should I stay away from the Uchiha?"

"Because I am making a humble request that you do," Naruto said calmly. "I do believe that Itachi has also warned you against doing anything to his brother. I have been given the assignment to look after him, and I will do that job even if it means I have to stand in the way of crafty old snakes that try to trick little kids with power."

A black robed man flashed beside Naruto and spoke to Danzo, "Danzo-sama, should I take out to the field?"

Danzo shook his head. "I'm sure he came here knowing things," he said with a slight frown.

The blond was not stupid after all. This was still the Hokage tower, he didn't know if Anbu had seen him enter the office or not. It was still something else that the blond could have the audacity to speak to him in such a bold manner. If Sarutobi hadn't refused his request, Konoha would really be having a powerful weapon now.

If the blond was this smart even without him, what more could he have been with him. The possibilities were just mouth-watering and merely reinforced Danzo's desire to get hold of the Jinchuriki and enslave him.

"I ask again, will you stay away from Sasuke?"

"No," Danzo said.

It was a foolish question to ask. The Uchiha was need by him, but as it stood now, the blond appeared to be the most attracting quality. He was glad that Naruto had come here. His eyes were opened and he would make some decisive plans to get what he wants. He could not allow something so precious to have its own will. It needed to be controlled by him.

Naruto showed no reaction once again. "How unfortunate," Naruto said tonelessly. "I wonder between you and the Sandaime, who has the fangs to bite? I have seen many masks of the Sandaime, but nothing of you. This is why I wonder."

Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hiruzen is a naïve and foolish Kage."

"And you're the smart and realistic leader who deserves to be Hokage," Naruto stated calmly. "Tell me, do you still wish to become Hokage?"

"Still..? When have I said I wanted to become Hokage?" Danzo was really surprised at the blunt question from the blond. This was just dangerous. Not to him, but the fact that the blond was this smart was the problem. He could solve the problem but as long as Hiruzen was alive, the problem could not be solved.

Someone who was this smart and was the Jinchuriki could not be allowed to do as he pleases. It was even a greater problem since the blond didn't have any loyalty towards Konoha and what was certain was that he knew about Itachi's mission. If Itachi had given him the mission to look after his brother, then that meant the two were still on contact.

At least that was something good. As far as Danzo was concerned, Itachi loved Konoha with everything. He was willing to accept his mission because of his love for Konoha after all. He believed that the Uchiha could be useful in trying to get the blond to behave. Or he could use that. It would be most effective method of control.

"Oh, my bad: I was speaking under the impression that you wanted to become Hokage," Naruto said dryly. "In any case, don't think you using that weapon you stole. I wouldn't have come here without making preparations."

Danzo stared at Naruto for a long minute before he decided it wasn't worth holding back. "Listen here, Jinchuriki: when I become Hokage, you will learn to respect me and you will serve Konoha with everything that you have. Either by force or on your free will, you will end up serving Konoha as its weapon. We will harness the power of the Kyuubi. Save yourself the trouble and bring along the Uchiha to my cave – as you call it – and we will begin the process now without the need to use force. If we end up needing to use force, those close to you cannot be guaranteed of safety."

"Well that solves everything," Naruto said. The man had threatened his mother. There was no need to talk anymore. He had an enemy. "I knew coming here would be a good a decision," the blond said calmly.

He twisted around to leave the space. With his hand on the door knob, Danzo spoke once again. "If I were you, I'd make the smart choice. You seem smart. Do what is best. I'm sure you know that there is no where you can hide within the Elemental Nations. If you try to run, I will find you."

Naruto glanced over his right shoulder as he spoke. "Amusing," he said before opening the door on his way out.

Perhaps making enemies with Danzo was not the best of options, but at this stage, Naruto was sure it was unavoidable. There was no way he was going to work with that man. The possibilities of a good working relationship between him and the war hawk were as slim as the chances of him waking up one day with lots of love for Konoha.

For now, he was certain Danzo would stay grounded because of the Sandaime Hokage. This protection gave him the freedom to move around. He didn't have the muscles to fight off all the enemies; which was why he was relying on the Sandaime, for now at least. He had the weapons in his hands to make things happen and he would drive things into the path that would be most pleasant for him.

 **Noon**

Naruto was having his lunch at the Icharaku ramen stand with his mother. There was no other place that usually had in his mind when he spoke of lunch. He had been coming here for as long as he could remember. Well, he did like the food and his mother seemed to enjoy it as well. There could be no complains could there be?

He wasn't that kind of person who would be thinking of trying something new. The rest of things around didn't really matter that much. He was most focused on important things and the other mundane things held little importance and so he didn't bother with them.

"Mother," Naruto started, his eyes staring at the small bowl before him. "What do you wish to be doing in the next five years?"

Kushina glanced at her son and masked her face with a curious look. It was just strange Naruto asking her such a question. She didn't even think that he really gave the future that much of a thought really. Well, it was good that he was giving tomorrow a thought. It made her happy even. At least she could hope for a future that wasn't as bleak as her nightmares.

The redhead poked her chin as she dived up into her thoughts, wondering what she could be doing next. Kushina found it ironic that she expected her son to be thinking about the future but she didn't really have many plans herself. Well, she could blame it on the fact that she was always thinking about Naruto. The future of her son held more importance than her.

"I don't know really," Kushina gave an honest response. "By then you'll be working towards your eighteenth year, meaning you'll be all grown. I hope we'll be much happier than we are now," she woman added smiling.

There could be a lot of things that can happen in the time. Naruto wasn't going to hold out for just one reality. This world could be unpredictable at times. One could never guess which way a human could come at and which masks they would be wearing. Of course that meant that events would change, and as much as people try to plan things, it is the events that occur around us that force us to change our plans.

"What about you, Naruto?"

"I hope we're still together, then," Naruto simply said.

Kushina smiled, shaking her head slightly. She should have expected Naruto to say something like that. She was about to say something, but stopped when she realized that Naruto's tone was a bit different and that there was really a deeper meaning to his words. The woman frowned slightly.

What had she been thinking? Naruto wasn't stupid. He could work things out on his own. It wasn't that she hadn't been thinking about the hardships they could face if something happens to the Sandaime. The old man was even reminding her about it because as he said, he could not hold out forever and he would have to soon leave his office. If he does, he may be unable to do anything for them.

Was it why she had been trying to make Naruto learn living without him? Did she really think that a time would come when they would be separated? She shook her head. She would never allow something like that to happen. Although she did acknowledge that there were forces that were beyond her, she would not lie down and allow anyone to take her son away from her. She would fight with all that she has.

"Don't worry, we will still be together," Kushina said firmly.

Naruto smiled, nodding at his mother. "I know. I don't really worry about that," he said. "But anything can happen…" he paused for a moment before adding a positive note to the conversation. "I also wish that by then, we have found someone to add to our clan. Even if it is just one member, I would really be happy."

Kushina beamed up. "Why didn't I say that?" She asked. "Perhaps we can enjoy the life I once enjoyed in the company of other Uzumakis…"

"I'm sure your time at Uzu was wonderful mother," Naruto said with a smile. "But I was thinking: instead of living the past, why don't we create new memories that will suite us best? I like the thought of creating our own story, not living in past glories."

Kushina smiled in thought, "New memories, huh?" She said to herself before nodding. "I like the thought of that," she said.

Yes, they could create new memories of their family instead of trying to recreate past glories. The past was the past and she had to accept that. Besides, she could not really recreate the past no matter how hard she tried. The people of yesterday were dead, but she was alive to make new memories and experience new things.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if she was thinking of her own clan with Mikoto doing her own work as well? Perhaps that would integrate them to the running of the village. There was much more she could offer to Konoha and that would make her a valuable person who wouldn't be messed with just by anyone.

 **Later That Day**

"I was beginning to think that you no longer cared about poor old me," Kakashi said to Naruto as the two walked through the streets of the Hidden Leaf.

Naruto had been walking on his own when Kakashi suddenly appeared before him. He hadn't been actively looking for the Jonin, but rather, minding his own business. What caused such a statement from the silver head man was that had had bothered offering the man a smile. It had been small, but a smile nonetheless and Kakashi had seemed rather happy to see it.

The blond looked at the road ahead, seemingly uninterested in what was occurring around the streets with the villagers. Well, he had never really cared unless they made their move on him and even so, he had really just ignored the villagers.

"You make it sound as if I cared to begin with," Naruto said responding to Kakashi's statement.

Kakashi put on a mock hurt look on his face. "You're so cold," the Jonin said. "After everything we have been through, I thought you'd care about me, even if it was just a little," the Jonin added, almost looking like he was about to cry.

Perhaps the Naruto of old may have responded to that, but now he found himself surrounded by serious matters that had much bearing on his future and how he was going to make his decision as well as how he was going to live his life to be actually indulging in something he saw as trivial.

Naruto did have that thought: if he didn't make plans for his future, who would do it for him?

"Why have you never thought of becoming Hokage?" Naruto asked the Jonin.

Kakashi's right eye glanced down at the blond for a moment before he retreated back to his thoughts. This was the kind of conversation he was never going to have with the Sandaime Hokage. He cared about Naruto and would not say things that would entice the old to make some ridiculous moves. Kakashi was very much aware that the Sandaime was capable of many things and he would not risk anything.

Why hadn't he thought of becoming Hokage? Why was Naruto even asking such a question? Was he worried about what would happen if the Sandaime retired? Being a former Anbu, Kakashi was very much aware what happened to shinobi who were deemed a flight risk. Naruto ticked all those boxes and without the Sandaime drastic measures, the blond would've be taken for the boxes to be emptied.

"It is much of hassle and I really don't like doing work," Kakashi said a bit carelessly. "Thinking of becoming Hokage?"

Well, if the blond put an effort to it, he would likely achieve that dream. For someone who was related to a former Hokage and held special ties with the current Kage, it was very much possible. Naruto also had the potential to become a really powerful shinobi in his prime and that is without including the Bijuu he held into the equation.

Naruto snorted in response, "I have no such ambitions," the blond said a bit distastefully as the thought of leading such a corrupt village. "There has never been a day I thought of becoming Hokage," he said.

But of course that didn't mean that if things were difficult for him, and a corrupt cockroach like Danzo was driving the village, he wouldn't make a move. With Danzo being Hokage, Naruto wouldn't be free to roam around the Elemental Nations. The war hawk had just confirmed that to him. With how connected the man was - the best option that would make him safe would be if he got the man killed and take over the village.

Not because he really wished to become Hokage but because it would be a safe route for him and his mother.

It wasn't just his mother now. Although he would have not thought it be possible, but Naruto was beginning to care about Mikoto. He had told Sasuke that he had grown fond of her, and it wasn't because she was his mother's friend, but because he thought of her as a delightful person, much more than the monkeys that run rampant within these streets.

It was really a curious thing. Naruto generalized his relationships with 'care' and 'like.' The only person he would willingly admit that he cared for was his mother. He was willing to admit that he cared for the Sandaime and Mikoto. The rest of the people he just liked and some he tolerated.

Kakashi shook his head with an eye smile. He really should have expected such a response from Naruto. The blond was like that. Becoming Hokage for the sake of Konoha would really go against everything that the blond stood for, and he would definitely no longer be the Naruto he knows.

"I thought you were falling into Jiraiya's scheme…" Kakashi said calmly.

"I have never been stupid Kakashi," Naruto said firmly. "Jiraiya is a little too late to try to manipulate me. Sometimes I think it is just better to 'give' people what they want just to get them off your back…" Naruto wasn't going to do anything for Konoha unless it benefitted him greatly. That was the rule or a law if you like.

"You're starting to act like how you do in serious situations," Kakashi said. "I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Knowing you, anything will go," the Jonin sighed. It would mean just more work for him as the Sandaime would no doubt call him to investigate Naruto's activities.

Naruto seemed to shrug in response. "Despite how famous you are, it is unlikely at this age you'd have the support needed to become Hokage," the blond suddenly returning to the matter they had been talking about earlier. "The Hyuuga hold more political power, and I don't see those people supporting the tardy Sharingan no Kakashi."

Kakashi blinked as he glanced at Naruto once again. He was surprised that the blond was reading much into the political situation around the village. Naruto had never really shown much interest in the matters. He wasn't surprised that the blond's assessment was spot on. Naruto was a genius when he wanted to be after all.

"Why the sudden interest in this?"

Naruto's eyes turned towards the masked Jonin for a moment before he responded. "I don't like rhetoric questions," he said.

Kakashi couldn't really say he was surprised by the somewhat cold response from the blond. He had a good guess on why Naruto was talking about politics and the Hokage seat. The blond has always liked to be given things straight on and really didn't answer when he was asked obvious questions.

The Jonin shook his head. "Where you headed to? I'd be shocked if you said you were just taking a stroll around the village," the man said. "I think I'd even stop reading Icha Icha for a day," he said in a serious tone.

Naruto looked at the man beside him as he responded. "Yamanaka flower shop. My mother should be just about done by now…"

"Oh, I heard she is working there now," Kakashi said. "Planning on taking her somewhere?"

Naruto shook his head. "We are just going to the Uchiha compound. I have my meeting with Sasuke and she has hers with Mikoto," the blond said calmly.

"How is it going with Sasuke, anyway?"

"Good, considering everything," the blond said. "With graduation closer, things will take a new turn. I'm going to be wearing Konoha's headband and will be forced to become a Genin. That doesn't give me happy thoughts, but it must be done."

"Genin life is fun," Kakashi tried to say. "There are some moments you only get to experience with being a genin. Trust me, I know. If I had lived a bit differently, I could have opened my eyes more to the world at large," the Jonin said firmly.

 **Moments later**

 **Yamanaka Flower Shop**

When Naruto walked into the flower shop, he was assaulted by Ino – who seemed to have sensed his presence upon entering the shop. The blond stared at his fellow blonde, but didn't say anything to the girl. She was staring at him, what was he to say? Wasn't she supposed to be at the academy at this time?

"I see you have abandoned me," Ino said with a stare. "Since you returned, you have hardly spent time with me and you're always not available. Sometimes your mother won't even tell me what you're doing; she just tells me that you're away from the village."

Well, his Anbu life as an S-rank secret. His mother wouldn't dare tell anyone without clearance. Perhaps she even thought that if the girl knew, she was likely to let it slip. Naruto doubted it was likely. The girl might be an information well, but she could keep secrets. Ino was a smart girl; she knew the importance of secrets.

The smart girl is the one that Naruto would not feel pressured to spend a few moments with, but the gossip who just wanted to play was seriously a chore. It was no wonder he had previously just walked into the park with her and took the sides while reading a book.

Ino didn't have the challenges that he has. She was a carefree little girl who enjoyed everything she got from her father. Well, that was the joy of growing up like that. Naruto could not say it was wrong. She was allowed to live her life to the way she saw fit.

"You seem fine, Ino," Naruto said, ignoring her rant.

Ino puffed up slightly and stayed on his way with her hand folded across her chest. It seemed that she wanted some answers from the blond and would not get out of his way until he gave them to her. "What have you been doing lately?"

"Visiting Temari in the Suna," It came easily out of Naruto's lips. "You know, she is my fiancée after all," the blond added.

That was something believable and it wasn't like Ino could force him to tell her what she wanted to hear. It wasn't one of those situations she could use blackmail to get him to do what she wanted.

Ino looked at Naruto sceptically before speaking. "You..? I'd believe that if your mother was forcing you to go, but she didn't really seem pleased that you were continuously going away and if you were going to visit Temari, your mother would have gone with you," Ino stated firmly.

Naruto wasn't surprised that mind of Ino could compute all that. Perhaps her ability to think was the reason he had felt that he missed seeing her. She wasn't a stupid little girl. She was smart, and that he appreciated in a human.

"I see your mind is still sharp when it comes to juicy information," Naruto said without responding to Ino's statement, which was spot on, by the way.

"You're not going to answer me?"

Naruto raised an index finger as he responded. "You have not asked me question. Previously you had been merely stating your facts, not asking me a question. I am not obligated to answer those, and I will choose when to answer your question."

Ino gave the blond a blank stare before a moment before she smirked. "I know what you have been doing. You forget that my father works in the Torture and Intel department… he knows things, and he tells mother some things and I overhear some things. I might have also overheard your mother telling mine…"

If Ino was expecting Naruto to be shocked or surprised, she was disappointed, the blond's expression didn't change.

A second later, he smiled slightly. "It is nice seeing you again, Ino. Honestly, I did think about your nagging and big ears while away from the village," the blond said calmly. "Is my mother done?"

"Well, you owe me a meal and not ramen…"

"That will be done when I have time," Naruto said. "I have something planned up with my mother."

"Fine," Ino said a small huff. "As long as you don't disappear again," she said.

"I am still here," Naruto said. He paused and looked past the Yamanaka; his mother was walking towards the two, smiling.

"I'm all done," Kushina said to Naruto. "Tell your mother that I'll see her tomorrow morning. I have to do some shopping with Naruto."

Ino nodded and gave Naruto a hard stare, "If you forget me, I will haunt you for the rest of your life," she said in a serious tone before she spun around and stalked away from the two Uzumakis.

Naruto merely shook his head as his mother watched curiously. "What was that about?"

"She wants me to make it up to her for being absent from her life for some time," the blond said as he led his mother out of the shop.

 **A couple of Days Later**

Naruto was sitting on a tree branch, waiting for Itachi to appear before him. He had used trickery to get away from his team so that he could meet the Uchiha. Well, it wasn't really trickery; he had merely sent a clone back with them while the real him sped away from the three. Once the mission was over, he had made his move.

Arrangements had already been made to meet the Uchiha.

Naruto didn't wait long before the Uchiha walked along the ground with his partner right beside him. Naruto hadn't been expecting a third party to join in the party, but he didn't comment on it. He wasn't going to say anything given that Itachi had yet to say anything about the blue man beside him.

Itachi stopped right under the tree Naruto was sitting on and spoke. "This is my partner in the Akatsuki, Kisame," the Uchiha said. "He wanted to meet you and I was forced to drag him along."

Naruto glanced down for a moment before speaking. "My introductions need not to be made then," the blond stated. "This makes it the third Akatsuki member I have met. Your group is really filled with some powerful shinobi…"

Itachi was another powerful shinobi, and he was feeling some power from the blue man. That man had faced his father and still lived and if Itachi was cautious around him then the man was truly a dangerous person. Not that Naruto was worried about that now. He knew how to disable the man, and he would do it eventually. For now, the man who called himself Uchiha Madara was not a threat to him.

It was a bit unfair that a criminal group could be made up of such powerful shinobi. Naruto really didn't care about what they were doing. But he didn't like the fact that a group that was so strong existed and could really be a problem to his continued existent.

Upon hearing Naruto speak, Itachi turned to face Naruto, "What? What do you mean by that?"

"Third member..?" Naruto asked as he jumped down the ground, before taking a few slow steps towards the tree trunk. He leaned against it; hands folded across his chest and spoke once more. "The one who calls himself Uchiha Madara appeared before me."

While not surprised that Madara had appeared before the blond, Kisame raised an eyebrow at the blond's body language; he was calm about it, not looking as if he had just met someone who could kill him and someone who was after the Bijuu inside of him. The expression on his face was just impassive. If the blond had the Sharingan and an Akatsuki cloak, Kisame would have said that he was staring at another Itachi.

"You don't sound too sure that he is actually Madara," Kisame said staring at the blond.

"Of course not: I'm not stupid to believe anything I am told," the blond said. "He must be immortal if he is Uchiha Madara, but if he is, he wouldn't need to hide his face. The mask always hides something. Upon hearing the name, some people are likely to bend to the wonders of fear. If he is indeed Uchiha Madara, he wouldn't need to hide his face. Showing it would certainly make it a lot more fearsome.

"Besides, I know how Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan looks like," the blond added.

"How..?"

"The man fought both the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage many times, and the latter was obsessive about studying everything about the Sharingan. He even developed techniques to counter the Sharingan. He even took Madara's body to study it after the battle in the Valley of End. I know because I stumbled upon the Senju's treasure in the Senju compound. Perhaps I was fortunate because my mother is a seal master and we are somehow related to the Senju."

"Kisame," Itachi said firmly. "You have seen Naruto; I wish to speak to him alone."

Kisame relented for a moment before sighed and nodded. "Fine," he grumbled. "Next time we meet, we might be on the battlefield, gaki," the man said as he walked away.

Itachi's Mangekyo came to life as he trapped Naruto in the world of Tsukuyomi. "Have you told anyone about this?"

Naruto shook his head. "We agreed with my mother that if we told the Sandaime, he would probably order the information to be taken for safety and Danzo was likely to know about it. It isn't much though. Most of the research is in the Sandaime's hands. But pieces about Madara were available. I think Tobirama hid his research even from his brother."

Itachi shook his head. "Just be careful," he said. "What did that man want?"

"He was making threats and saying something about coming to me to get something. The only interesting thing anyone would within me is the Bijuu in me…" Naruto seemed nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Do you understand what this means?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "Don't worry yourself, Itachi. I have never been reckless before and I will not start now. In any case, your mother wants to speak with you and I suggest you do."

"Why?" Itachi had the feeling that Naruto wasn't asking him, but telling him. There must be something more to this and he didn't like it. He had not been expecting to see his mother again anytime soon. He felt that it was somehow too early to see her.

"Because you have to," Naruto said firmly. "She is struggling with Sasuke; it pains her to see her son hell bent on killing his brother. Sasuke has a mother, surviving members of his clan, and yet he cannot live happily because he is a little obsessed with killing you."

"That will make him stronger."

"More detestable before my sight," Naruto stated. "I hate corrupt and evil humans who have nothing but hatred in them and if he continues on that path, he will hurt his mother. I care for Mikoto more than I care for Sasuke. I will kill him if he loses himself to his hatred and ends of hurting his mother in the process."

"Did my mother say she wants to speak to me?" Itachi asked.

He ignored the comment about Naruto killing his brother. He was certain that it would go that way. Provided that not much has changed with the blond, Itachi was certain that Naruto didn't just say he would kill someone without really meaning it. At this moment, the blond was telling him to change things so that he doesn't go that path.

What had he been thinking though? He shouldn't have told his younger brother to resent him. He hadn't really thought about how it would affect his mother. It was a problem but he was nevertheless happy that Naruto was still around. If the blond cared for his mother, then he would no doubt protect her if it came to that.

Naruto nodded. "Yes," he said. "Come to Konoha in four nights. I will arrange for my mother to spend the night at the Uchiha compound."

Itachi appeared to think for a moment. He would need to think about things and how to go about them, but if his mother wanted to speak to him, he had to go. Getting into Konoha was easy for him being that he is a former Anbu captain and genjutsu was quite effective in getting his way.

"The Akatsuki is after Bijuus. They have yet to make a move, yet. They are busy trying to find the location of other Jinchurikis and gathering money for operations. They will make their move soon," Itachi said to Naruto. "If it takes years, my body will not allow me to be of help to you. Well, at least you have those eyes I gave you. You might have to make use of them someday."

"Going against S-rank criminals, huh?" Naruto said in a calm tone. "Certainly, if they attacked now, it would have no choice but to unleash the Kyuubi, but given that the chakra will be forced out of my seal, it will be quite dangerous to my body."

"I thought your seal was made to allow you to use the Kyuubi's chakra?"

"Yes, but during my years away from Konoha, I came to learn that there is a key needed to unlock the gate that holds back the Kyubi. Using it now is done forcefully by weakening the seal, and since it is raw Bijuu chakra, it has negative effects on my body," Naruto said. "More training will have to be done, and I may have to leave Konoha once again with S-rank criminals on my tail."

"As you are now, you can't do anything, but you do have people who can protect you. As long you stay in Konoha, you'll have the protection. I don't recommend leaving the village."

Naruto failed to offer a response to Itachi's recommendation. "Come to Konoha and we will deal with other challenges we are facing. My short time in Anbu has taught me that you can't do everything in your own. It is surprising that something like that is coming from me, but that is the reality I have come to understand. You can't do everything on your own Itachi, neither can I..."

That was something that Naruto learned with being Anbu. The eyes could not see all fronts. With that reality, you needed more pair of eyes that would look where you cannot see. That was how things worked in this world and Naruto was learning. He hated it, but it was a reality that faced. Of course when it came to his mother personally things would be different.

Itachi gave Naruto a tiny smile, "You're really growing," he said lightly. It was a good sign that made him happy. "I have been shouldering burdens on my own for a bit too long since Shisui died… I've always thought I could handle everything. But the reality is that I can't. If I had that power, I wouldn't have requested you look after Sasuke."

He never thought that he would actually be getting some lessons from Naruto of all people. The blond has often admitted to being narrow minded. Perhaps things were changing because he was in Anbu. That kind of a world had its way when it came to changing people.

In any case, if he was able to work things out with his Sasuke, things could really take a different outlook. But he feared that if Sasuke knew, he would do something stupid like try to attack the village elders. Itachi shook his head. He had made his choices; shouldn't he allow Sasuke to make his choices as well? He could not decide how Sasuke could live his life.

 **Uchiha Compound**

 **Nights later**

Mikoto was feeling slightly nervous about meeting her elder son once again. It was midnight and she was pacing around the kitchen, waiting for her son to appear, with Naruto sitting comfortably on a chair beside the table. He didn't look as nervous as the Uchiha, just calm. Well, he rarely showed his nerves.

Mikoto wished she could be as calm as the blond but she was a little afraid, what if he doesn't show up? What if he says no? What if things get out of hand? Anbu could spring in this place at any moment and they would be in trouble for harbouring an S-rank criminal. They would be labelled traitors.

"He will come," Naruto said to Mikoto in a calm and slightly firm tone. "Relax, will you? If you keep this up, you will be tired when he gets here."

Naruto didn't have any doubt that Itachi would come. There had been no need to Itachi to say that he would come, if he heard the message, he had to come. Naruto had even placed a silencing seal around his mother's room so that she isn't disturbed by anything in her beauty sleep. This was also a burden that his mother didn't have to carry. It was also not his secret to tell. If Mikoto wanted to tell his mother, she would.

"I know, but the nerves just won't go away," Mikoto in a hushed tone, standing still for the first time a couple of minutes. She then went on to sit across the table, facing Naruto before speaking once again. "Would it be good for Sasuke to be here?"

"Speak to Itachi first," Naruto said. "Do you wish for me to be of help?"

Mikoto nodded with a smile. "Of course you're needed. If you're not there to defend my points, who will? I need my delightful hero to be with me in difficult situations."

The Uchiha wished Naruto would grow up to be a man already. In mind, he was already a man, but he was still just a child. She knew he would really become a supportive husband to whoever he marries. Even if he didn't seem to have any interest, Mikoto would teach him everything Kushina could not. It was the least she could do for him after everything.

"I will do what I can," Naruto said with a small smile.

At that moment, Itachi flashed into the room, his expression stoic. "We should go to the study. There are a lot of activities outside," he stated, already walking away.

Mikoto merely shook her head as she walked beside Naruto. "Just like his father," she whispered to the blond. "…Has a hard time expressing his feeling," she paused, and smiled at Naruto. "I can't say the same thing for you because you don't have much in that department."

Naruto glanced at the woman for a moment before staring at the back of Itachi. He could not find anything wrong in her statement despite not saying anything in response. He didn't have much to express, hence his usual indifferent and impassive mask.

When the three arrived at the study, Mikoto smiled warmly at her elder son before closing the distance between them. She pulled the stiff Uchiha into a warm embrace, and Itachi just stood still like a pole, showing some surprise on his face.

"Mother..?" He said questionably.

"That is not how you hug your mother, Itachi," Naruto said, sitting atop of the small desk in the study, watching the two impassively. "It has been years since your mother saw you and she has missed you. As my mother would say, show some love."

Itachi struggled with his thoughts for a few moments before returning the embrace. "There: was it so hard?" Mikoto said as the two separated.

Itachi just shook his head and watching his mother walk away from him. She sat down beside Naruto and faced him, as was the blond. It felt like an interrogation room, but even with those eyes staring at him, waiting for him to crack, Itachi would not.

"I thought you'd hold some resentment towards me for what I did and I was trying to push Sasuke towards…" Itachi said quietly.

"You're my son and nothing will change that," Mikoto gave an evasive answer but one that allowed Itachi to know that no matter what, she would always love him as a mother loves her child. "What did you try to do to Sasuke?"

"Hate me in order to become stronger. I thought that would be the motivation he would need…" Itachi said calmly.

Hatred really did fuel some cruel intensions in people and some people worked like demons in order get the power they needed to be strong. He thought because his mother was present, Sasuke would not completely fall into the dark side. Naruto was present as well, so he had things sorted out.

"Really," Mikoto said slowly. "Naruto is plenty strong, but it isn't hatred that makes him strong. Our Sharingans evolution depends on our emotions. Without any, the Sharingan cannot evolve. The pleasant way for Sasuke to grow stronger would have been to just leave things as they were and allow him to strengthen his resolve into protecting what remains of the Uchiha."

All these things… Itachi shook his head. He hadn't thought things like this. Perhaps it was because the original thought had been the Uchiha clan's massacre, not leaving some behind. That changed a few things, but it was apparent that he didn't change his thinking.

He didn't want his brother to grow up to become corrupted. Sasuke was a good child; he had been a loving and sweet child when he was younger. But after what he had done, he had changed things. He didn't even want to face his younger brother even. Was he simply running away from a problem that only he could solve?

What his mother said made sense. Why hadn't he done through that in the first place? Was it because he didn't want Sasuke to know about what he did?

"What would happen if Danzo goes to Sasuke and tells him that you were ordered to kill your clan by the Sandaime Hokage? That cripple is smart enough to devise a strategy that would fool Sasuke," Naruto said. "You have done things in the way you believe, why don't you allow Sasuke to do the same?"

"Are you suggesting that I tell him the truth?"

Naruto nodded. "That Uchiha knows the truth. He said you were useful, but what if he decides that you're no longer useful and decides to have Sasuke replace you?"

That man… Uchiha Madara. That was a major problem, but Naruto seemed to have things thought out. Well, he could not be surprised. When it came to safety and making plans to ensure for that safety, the blond worked like a prodigy.

"That Uchiha..?" Mikoto asked. "Are you talking about the one who caused the Kyubi incident?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes that one. I think that is also something that must never get out. Konoha cannot know about that Uchiha. If the village knows, they will only say that they suspicion about the Uchiha clan being involved in the Kyubi incident was true. Given how those… people act, I don't think they will take a second before praising Itachi for what he did."

Itachi blinked upon hearing that from Naruto. The blond was really surprising him. Who could have thought that Naruto would actually have something like that in thought? But he did know that what the blond had said was very possible.

The villagers might actually praise for ridding of the clan what was responsible for the losses they incurred during the Kyubi rampage. What would become of the clan then? Itachi could not really see what would happen if such a reality were to come to pass.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you only thought of something like that because you care for the future of the Uchiha clan," Itachi said with a tiny smile. Even though Naruto wasn't doing anything because he cared for his clan, it still made him happy. "I am curious, though. Why?"

Mikoto smiled and responded for Naruto. "Because he is my beloved hero… If things go well in my family, I am happy and Kushina is happy."

Naruto nodded in agreement with Mikoto's words but before he could respond, Sasuke burst into the study, a dark look on his face. "Itachi…" the youngest Uchiha growled, his eyes flashing dangerously. He looked around the room and saw his mother and Naruto. He sent a dark glare at the latter before turning his attention towards his traitorous elder brother.

"Just in time," Naruto said calmly as he got up from the desk and landed on the floor gracefully. "I shall leave you Uchihas to handle your personal matters. It is late anyway, I need my sleep…" the blond was already walking away when he said that.

He was stopped from leaving when Sasuke stepped in front of him. "What are you doing with this traitor?"

"The same question can be asked about your mother," Naruto said mildly before shoving the Uchiha out of his way. "Itachi, make sure you keep him 'sedated' for the night so that he doesn't go on a rampage."

Mikoto shook her head as she watched the blond walk away from the study. It was a nice gesture from him but still, she would not have minded if the blond had stayed behind. In her eyes, Naruto was a part of this family.

Itachi was certain the only reason Sasuke wasn't lunging at him was because their mother was present in the room. If she had not been here, the boy would have charged at him. The elder sibling activated the Mangekyo Sharingan. "Sasuke… it seems you and I have something we need to talk about…"

 **A bit of a short chapter from what I usually do. In any case, I hope it went well.**

 **Thanks for the reviews. For the next three weeks, I will update the story three times. Possibly on Thursdays when I update 'Legend.'**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Naruto," the Sandaime Hokage said holding a headband with his right hand. He pushed it towards the blond, who just stared at it. "I know you lost the one I previously gave you. In any case, treasure this one as you will now be officially a Genin of Konoha."

That meant that Anbu life was over. It had been a short journey in the black ops, but a fruitful one that made him understand things in a new light and he was able to make some plans as well as plant his seeds. Agreeing with the Sandaime in joining Anbu hadn't been the wrong option, but a right one that would prove useful. He had gained a lot, including precious battle experience and got more familiar with the workings of Konoha's structures.

Even so, being Genin wasn't all fun and games. Naruto would rather he be given another rank other than genin. The rank was the lowest and it would be nothing but troublesome. He would be forced back into the grace of the brats he left at the academy.

Naruto wasn't really looking forward to engaging that group. Their heads were filled with fun and games. Life for him wasn't like that. He had serious matters to handle than playing in the park or playing a game of hide and seek. He hoped he would not be forced into the company of useless brats who would be nothing more than annoyances.

The blond stared at the headband before him for a long minute before grasping it with his right hand. He then tied it around his forehead and looked back at the Sandaime who was smiling broadly.

"It looks good on you," the old man said happily. "This proves that you're a shinobi of Konoha and that your loyalty lies with the Leaf," the old man added in a bit of a serious tone.

Seriously that was about just pushing it. The Sandaime clearly knew that he wasn't loyal to Konoha and that he would abandon this village without even thinking twice. The old man knew this and yet was still saying that. Perhaps he just trusted him to stay behind. Well, as long as the old man remained Hokage, Naruto would fight for Konoha, but the moment things change, he was fleeing.

Appearances did matter in this shinobi life. While he could not wear the damn metal plate with a smile, he could wear it as if he was proud. He could not afford to be seen glaring the headband with resentment. That would definitely look bad on him and it would give the eyes watching him a reason to act.

For now, he would play the part.

Naruto spoke, "I will make sure never to lose this one," he said calmly. "It is what is expected of a Konoha shinobi. Genin's are put into teams, who am I going to be put in a team with?"

"You can make a guess," The Sandaime said with a smile. "I did have some resistance in putting this team together. there are some people who think that you will be a bad influence on their kids and think that you shouldn't even be put in a genin cell, but rather continue working as an Anbu."

Interestingly enough, most of the clan heads seemed to be in agreement with the thought brought up by Danzo. It had been the first time that they had agreed with the war hawk. Perhaps they were also worried about Naruto's loyalties towards the hidden Leaf. There had been arguments that sending him into a genin cell would be wasting his skills. It was to better serve the village as Anbu than being a normal shinobi.

Hiashi in particular had been vocal in his disproval of his choice. Despite the man's political backing, the Sandaime had stood firm on his choice and reminded everyone that he was the Hokage and that his decisions were final. Of course that hadn't stopped Hiashi arguing with him, but the Sandaime had dully reminded the man of his place.

Although the Hyuga had discarded his eldest daughter, he really didn't want her in a team with Naruto. The Sandaime didn't really understand why because the blond was not really a disease and if anything, it was Hinata who would learn something from Naruto. That is if the blond doesn't ignore her.

Hiruzen was surely hoping that Naruto influences the Hyuga girl. If he was able to change the girl into a serious Kunoichi, it would look good on the Hyuga and Hiashi will be forced to acknowledge his daughter. Of course by then, the man would be forced to thank Naruto. If things went according to plan, Naruto would have the Uchiha and the Hyuuga behind him.

That would ensure that even if he does go from this office, those two clans would put enough power to force good to come to the blond's way.

If he was a mad man, the Sandaime would've been surely giggling at his grand scheme. This was just genius. Naruto didn't have to be loyal to Konoha to fight for it. He just had to be treated in the way he wanted and everyone just had to mind their own business and the blond would fight for this village. It was simple as that.

Only Danzo could ruin his best laid plans.

Naruto didn't even need to think about who his sensei was going to be in the genin cell. It was going to be Kakashi. No one was suitable to the job than the Jonin. If there had been someone could do a better job at trying to form attachments and be strong enough to handle him, he would have chosen someone else.

Naruto figured the old man accounted for his mind when picking the team. The Sandaime wouldn't put someone who didn't know him. It would be dangerous if he put someone he could easily outsmart. Kakashi may not look like it, but the man was smart and highly observant and the added fact was that the Jonin cared for him and the Sandaime trusted him with his own life.

Sasuke would form a teammate. Naruto suspected that was just part of some agenda from the Sandaime Hokage. But he would not complain with that teaming. It would give him a better chance to look after Sasuke and ensure that the Uchiha grew to levels he could be useful.

Ino was out of the picture… Naruto shook his head. The Sandaime would want someone he wasn't familiar with. Ino could still try to force her way into his life even without being in the same team as him. There was no need to team her with him. He could not figure who the fourth member of the team would be, but he was sure it wouldn't just be a random someone.

"Kakashi and Sasuke, who will be the last member?"

The Sandaime just smiled, "Go to the academy after 1pm and you will meet your teammates and sensei," the Sandaime said calmly, "You'll be surprised when you find out who the final member of team Kakashi will be."

Naruto stared at the old man for a moment before shaking his head. "I will head there," he said turning away from the old man.

The Sandaime Hokage looked at the blond with a careful eye. This world was really strange. It bitterly amused the old man at times. Naruto was someone he liked, but the thoughts inside his head about the blond were not ones that would make everyone happy. There was always a plot, a deeper meaning to the words he said.

Well, it was a game he played with the blond. It didn't matter if people would get it or not. Besides, for people to know the kind of game they played, they would have to enter their heads. Although there was the unwritten law that they should always be frank with one another, both of them had their own secrets.

Interestingly enough, the Sandaime often wondered who would come out victorious in this little game of theirs. Perhaps having such thoughts proved he was slowly turning towards the boundaries of what was right and wrong. He couldn't be faulted. Dealing with Naruto would push one to the limits, especially if one knew the blond's true nature.

The famed shinobi opened the drawer on his left hand and took out a file: Hokage eyes only. It was his little file. He had created the file on Naruto and it wasn't really filled with his thoughts about the blond. The observers submitted their reports and the Sandaime would add his response to the reports before putting them together in the file. It was more like a diary entry than anything.

The old man motioned for an Anbu to appear before him. The Anbu flashed in front of the Sandaime's desk a second later and the old man didn't speak. He continued staring at the file. He knew that if such a file was discovered it would course some damage. The file contained the worries he has always denied having in front of the council.

If something happened to him and the file fell into the wrongs hands, it would have massive and severe consequences. There were things about Naruto that only he knew inside the file; things that would make even Shikaku – who has always sided with him on the Naruto matter – think twice.

The Sandaime handed the file to the Anbu before laying out his instructions. "Keep this file locked away," he said. "If anything happens to me, it should be burnt. Not a day later, but a second later. No one should see that file, I am understood?"

"Hai," the Anbu saluted before disappearing into thin air.

The Sandaime Hokage leaned back to his chair and breathed out a long breath. Everything was all set now; it was just time to see how things would play out. He had played his part, and now it was time for the pieces to move.

 **Academy**

Iruka hadn't been well pleased when the Sandaime Hokage had him give Naruto the graduation exam so that he could be entered into the teams. The blond had left the academy years ago and he couldn't say that he was ready for such for a genin. Everyone had to go through the academy first, but the Sandaime had insisted and when the thought of special treatment had crept in, the Sandaime was forced to tell him a secret.

Naruto had been an Anbu trainee.

The Chunin hadn't made arguments with the Sandaime Hokage after that revalation, but merely nodded and accepted every decision he made. Who was he to judge? He was just an academy teacher and a failure of a shinobi. Sure he loved teaching, but as a shinobi, he had miserably failed.

When Naruto walked into the class, and went towards the seat he had usually occupied during his days in the academy, the brats started.

"Iruka-sensei," one of the newly graduated genins called out. "What is he doing here? And why does he have a headband with him?"

Iruka cleared his throat. "Naruto is a genin like you," he said firmly. "He did the graduation exam and aced it, even better than Sasuke…" Of course he wouldn't say the blond was the top graduate because he wasn't in class. Official records will say that the Uchiha was the top student in his class and rightly so.

There were murmurs around the class. "He wasn't even attending class with us… this smells special treatment… is it because he is the Yondaime's son?"

That was something that Naruto would never get used to – being called the Yondaime's son. He has always been called a demon by the villagers and they had looked at him with contempt. Of course with the revelation their attitudes changed a little, but nothing much had really changed. It was almost like they were waiting for him to make a certain move before he can decide on whether to love or hate him regardless of his parentage.

"I find it impossible to believe that person was able to do better than Sasuke-kun," a fan girl snipped.

Iruka had to expect that his students would have a difficult time believing that Naruto had really bettered Sasuke and according to the Sandaime Hokage, the blond was better than the Uchiha in every way. Well, during his short days in the academy, he had been better, and Iruka could not find a reason to deny anything.

The academy teacher looked towards Naruto to see if he would be up to defending himself, but Iruka merely caught the sight of someone who showed lack of interest in anything going inside the class: the blond had his eyes outside, and given the body language, Iruka could say he had a bored look on his face.

Iruka shook his head and decided it wasn't really up to him to defend the Sandaime's decisions and if Naruto wanted to defend himself, he would defend himself.

"That is enough about Naruto," Iruka said in a hardened tone. "I just want to congratulate you for getting your headbands. I hope you make me proud when you hit the ground running. In any case, let us get to team assignments…"

Shikamaru was occupying the seat in front of Naruto. The Nara was sitting in a row with Chouji and Kiba. He glanced at the blond – who despite his face staring outside the window, glanced back at him, for a moment that is.

"I'm not really surprised that you came back," Shikamaru said to Naruto. "I figured you'd join us…" the Nara added.

There was no reaction in Naruto's face. He had always known that the Nara was smart. People may think he wasn't because he never really out an effort in anything, but Naruto knew. The Naras were a clan blessed high IQs after all.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you," came a response from Naruto.

There was silence as Iruka continued to read out the teams. "… Team 7: Hyuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Jonin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi. Team 8: Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura and Inuzuka Kiba..."

Once again, Naruto looked away.

He was really surprised that he was put in the same team with a Hyuga. There was only one Hyuga in this class, and he had a memory of girl: a slightly useless girl. He really hoped that she had changed. But that wasn't the worrying factor. He wondered why the Sandaime Hokage had put him in the same team as the Hyuga.

She could not be of use in his development, or Sasuke's. Then why? It was certainly not for balancing the team. Both he and Sasuke were above normal genins and Naruto was thinking perhaps the Hyuga had some skills as well. Not to mention she was also a doujutsu user. Even if the Hyuga does prove to the a nuisance, it wouldn't take away anything from the fact that this team was seriously overpowered.

There could be no genin team to stand against this one. He wasn't even a genin to begin with.

Well, Naruto wasn't going to complain. If the Hyuga does prove to be useful, then he would take advantage of the situation to suite his needs. Still, without finding the reason the Sandaime brought her into the team would make him cautious.

The girl was too timid to be a spy for the Sandaime and Naruto was sure it wasn't just a mask. The role of playing a spy suited someone like Ino. The blonde Yamanaka girl was noisy after all and had some keen eyes. It would-

Naruto's thoughts were cut by a groan from Shikamaru. The blond looked down the Nara – who now looked as if the energy out of him had been sucked dry.

"I really should have expected this, but this has done nothing but confirm my worst nightmare," Shikamaru said tiredly. "Ino is a bit too energetic for my liking. It is just going to make things too troublesome."

"At least you have me," Chouji offered some words to console his friend.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "That girl though…" he said glancing down the rows towards the Yamanaka.

"To say a little energetic is a massive understatement," Naruto said.

Ino was really full of energy. She was just way energetic. If she had red hair, Naruto would have mistaken her for an Uzumaki. Another fact was that she never really stopped talking and as he was starting to find out, most of it was just gossip. It was just nuisance to Naruto. He didn't have time for gossip.

Well, at least he wasn't going to end up in a team with her. He would never get anything serious done with her and if she was still chasing after Sasuke, it would have proved to be even more of a chore to deal with her.

"Let us trade," Shikamaru said. "Hinata for Ino. If I remember correctly, you used to get along with her."

"No," Naruto simply said. "Hinata is fine…"

"I can't believe that you got Hinata," Kiba grumbled with a pointed look towards Naruto. "I would have been pleased if she was in my time. Instead, I got an Uchiha fan girl. She has nothing special about her either."

"She is smarter than you," Chouji quipped, earning a glare from Kiba.

How could he retort to that? No one would agree with him if he said he was really smarter than the girl. Sakura was after all a top student. She was just book smart and for someone who wasn't from a clan, she really did work hard.

"Yeah well, at least I can beat her up."

"Yay," Chouji said. "Be proud about being able to beat up a girl. How manly of you…" the Akamichi tone was dripping with sarcasm. Even Kiba was able to note.

The boy looked red-faced for a moment before he crossed his hands across his chest, and put on a defensive look on his face, cheeks puffed up a bit. "Gender doesn't matter with being a shinobi."

"That may be right," Shikamaru said, "But we have just graduated and Sakura is still just a girl. Have you even seen her fight?"

This was an argument that Kiba wasn't going to win and he went back to focus on Naruto who had remained quiet since he started talking. Looking at that bored look on the blond's face, Kiba frowned, but decided that starting a conversation wasn't going to give him anything. He was likely going to be ignored.

Still, he needed to have one last word. "If you dare make a move on Hinata, you'll regret it," Kiba warned. "I don't have to worry about Sasuke. The brooding bastard might be gay and Hinata doesn't like him."

"Sounds like someone likes Hinata," Ino suddenly said, appearing before the group. She was wearing a smile on her face that clearly indicated that she had found some material to use.

"And what if I do?" Kiba responded, staring fiercely at Ino.

"Ah, no fun when you act like that," the Yamanaka girl said disappointedly and stalked away from the Inuzuka. She stopped just beside Naruto and gave the blond a stare. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Naruto contemplated on whether he should respond on the question or not. It would be just annoying if he did not and the girl wouldn't stop pestering him. He sighed and answered calmly. "The last time I saw you I wasn't aware…" he merely said.

Ino stared at him for a few moments, trying to catch any movement he would make that would tell her the blond was lying or not. Unfortunately for her, Naruto remained stiff as a brick, causing her to sigh. "I would have liked it if I was in a team with you…" the girl grumbled under her breath.

At least with Naruto she wouldn't have to do hard work. The blond was her black Knight; he would always protect her against all dangers. In missions, she would not have to worry about anything, Naruto would watch her back. But the lazy Shikamaru would probably just call her out if there was danger.

"Why, do you like him?" Kiba asked with a grin after hearing the Yamanaka grumble.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Ino responded with a shrug. "Who cares anyway? And it isn't like Naruto is a bad person. He is superior to you in every way, and even better than Sasuke. It wouldn't be a problem if I liked him."

Kiba said nothing, but he was really insulted. The girl had narrowed her gaze from head to toe; measuring him up and after all that, she said Naruto was superior to him in every way. He wasn't better but superior. That was a slap to his pride. A truly massive blow and Kiba really didn't like anyone who did that.

Before he could explode, "Team Asuma," Asuma said a bit lazily as he walked into the class. "Please follow me," he said.

"We are not done," Ino said to Naruto in a hardened tone before turning away.

Naruto said nothing.

Shikamaru merely shook his head before glancing at the blond Uzumaki. "…Shogi some time at my house?" He offered lightly. They did have some unresolved issues with their relationship and Shikamaru was going to follow up to it.

Naruto nodded, "Why not?" he said.

Shikamaru smiled slightly and waved his left hand as he followed Ino and Chouji. If Kiba was thinking he was going to get time to talk to Naruto, he didn't get it because Kurenai came in to take Team 8 away. What remained was just three genins of Team 7.

Hinata didn't know which way to look with Sasuke and Naruto in the class with her. With how nervous she was, she was really thinking of just running away from the class and wait outside for their late sensei. But she held firm. Her 'father' had warned her against embarrassing the clan any further. Anymore disappointments and she was likely to be sent to the branch family and branded with a caged bird seal.

It wasn't enough that the man she called father had stripped her of her rights as clan heiress but he had also gone on to brand her a failure. It wasn't that she was weaker than Hanabi; it was just that she didn't want to do anything to harm her sister. She was just gentle that way. but her 'father' didn't approve.

A failure, huh?

The Hyuga clan head had known that she was going to be placed in this team and had informed her that she would be paired with geniuses before harshly dismissing her. She already knew that Sasuke was a genius but she didn't know about Naruto. He had seemed smart back then.

Naruto…

The Uzumaki who had been hated by the villagers in every corner and when she was still considered clan heiress, she had been warned to stay away from him. Her 'father' had been worried about the clan's reputation. But he had still been a human being to her. She could not understand the hatred.

But in her eyes, he was strong. He was-

Hinata froze slightly when Sasuke's furious voice shattered the calm silence that had been in the class. She stole a glance: the Uchiha was looking at Naruto with a narrowed look on his face.

"Where is the damn sensei?" Sasuke demanded looking at Naruto.

Naruto ignored Sasuke. He had taught the Uchiha to control himself better than that. Perhaps the restraint had loosened because of what he had recently learned. Naruto didn't expect it to be easy to for the Uchiha to accept that the village elders had ordered his brother to kill massacre his entire clan. Sasuke didn't seem to care about the planned coupe, that bothered him was what had been instructed of his brother.

But still Kakashi was really late. Naruto really didn't have the patience for this kind of tardiness. He could have spent some time to do something useful instead of waiting in this class. He would have to work around that issue.

Speaking of the Jonin: Kakashi walked into the class, "Team 7… meet me at the roof top…" he Jonin looked unapologetic over his lateness. The man then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto merely shook his head as he stood up. If Kakashi was going to waste his time, he wouldn't operate in the way the man was going to operate. He would move on his time as well. With that in mind, Naruto put his hands inside his pockets and walked slowly out of the class.

The blond was the last person to reach the roof. The blond settled down beside Hinata with Sasuke sitting on the other side of the young Hyuga. She looked really ready to die at any moment.

"Okay," Kakashi started closing his book. "This is Team 7, before anything, let us introduce ourselves… name dislikes, goals and dreams…" the Jonin paused for a moment as he opened his book once again and started reading. "I am Hatake Kakashi… I don't have much in terms of dislikes… dreams… meh… likes… likes… meh…" The man looked up from his book and looked at Sasuke. "Your turn…"

"Uchiha Sasuke…" Sasuke started. "I don't like a lot of things, and I don't hate a lot of things… as for my dream… I wish to restore my clan to its former glory and kill some people…"

Naruto actually had no disagreements with that. He was actually proud of the Uchiha's response. He had been planning on doing it in the near future because the elders would really prove to be a problem when the Sandaime leaves the Hokage office. He wouldn't even hesitate to help out the Uchiha in that plan.

'Kill some people? I wonder who…' Kakashi thought, his eyes still pressed on his book.

Hinata poked her fingers for a few moments, her face red, lips moving up and down. Kakashi could almost say that it was cute and slightly amusing. He wasn't angry, but slightly amused, yet worried. Ah, being young. At least he hadn't been like this one he was young.

"H-hyuga H-hinata-a…" that was all she was able to stutter. She did not have the strength to say anything else. Hinata bit her lip in frustrations over her lack of courage. It really did bother her. Why couldn't she muster the courage to speak her mind? Other people spoke so freely, why couldn't she?

Naruto's gaze turned towards the Hyuga for a moment before he responded. "Uzumaki Naruto… likes a handful of things… dislikes, a few people… dream…maybe seeing to the restoration of my clan…"

It almost looked like the blond didn't even care about what he was saying. Kakashi shook his head. At least the blond hadn't lied. It was a pity that the Hyuga was unable to say anything concrete though.

"Okay…" Kakashi started. "We will do a final test tomorrow morning to determine if you can really become genins…" he was really just going through formalities here. Sasuke was already a genin n terms of skills; Naruto was a former Anbu and he was sure Hinata would follow in line. There was no need to test the two.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Even if you got your headbands, if you fail tomorrow's test, you will be sent back to the academy…" Kakashi said calmly. "Meet me at training ground 7 at 8am tomorrow morning to begin the test…" after saying those words, the Jonin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I thought graduating from the academy meant that we have become genins," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto, who was now on his feet.

The blond walked past Hinata without as much as acknowledging her before he responded to Sasuke. "Don't get worked over it," Naruto responded calmly.

"How can I not be when there is a chance that I might be sent back to the academy?" Sasuke asked. He had been happy about finally graduating from the academy. This meant that he could start his journey to become a real shinobi and grow strong enough to eliminate enemies of his clan.

"You won't be sent back," Naruto said calmly. "Now stop fussing over it and let's just go…"

Hinata watched the two walk away from her. So, Naruto and Sasuke were friends. Hinata really didn't see what was so nice about Sasuke that girls fawned over him, Naruto was different. He had been in charge a second ago.

Even so, Hinata felt downed that he hadn't said anything to her or even look into her eyes. Perhaps it was because she had disappointed him. Naruto was strong. Obviously he would be attracted to people who could speak their thoughts, like Ino. She could not, not when there were eyes all over.

But on her own, she could speak. She could say, "Naruto." She could even scream it when she was alone. "Naruto!"

"You calling me?" Naruto voice cut Hinata from her thoughts and brought her down to earth.

The Hyuga slapped her mouth and shook her head vigorously. She hadn't realized that she had been speaking so loud. But that was the proof wasn't it? It was proof that she could do it. She just had to push a little harder in order to do it.

 **Uchiha Compound**

The way to the Uchiha compound had been a silent one. Sasuke hadn't really minded the silence: it gave him time to think about things inside his head. While Naruto wasn't throwing insults towards, the blond did have a way with words, and when he was not talking, Sasuke appreciated it. Well, at times.

As they stepped into his house, Sasuke faced Naruto. "Are we going to train today?" He asked.

"No," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "I want to look at a few things. you can train on your own, but be mindful of tomorrow."

Sasuke stared for a few moments. If the blond wasn't here for him then he was here for his mother. It made the Uchiha scowl slightly. Naruto was getting a little closer to his mother. It wasn't a pleasant thought. It just reminded him of how close Naruto had been to his brother. He had noticed how brightly his mother smiled at Naruto.

The smile she gave him was different to the smile she gave the blond. Sasuke really didn't know what it meant, but he understood that they had different meaning. He didn't like it that his mother gave Naruto special treatment. The blond got that from his own mother, he didn't need from his mother as well.

Sasuke followed Naruto from behind. The blond stopped and turned to face him. "Is there something you want?"

"This is my house," Sasuke said. "Besides, you always want to speak to my mother in private. I want to know what you want to talk about with her… I don't like things being kept from me."

"I wasn't about to talk about you," Naruto said walking away. "Our world doesn't really revolve around you, Sasuke. I do have other things I talk about with your mother other than you…"

Sasuke suppressed the urge to glare and just followed the blond. They found his mother in the study, working through clan matters. The elder Uchiha smiled the two boys before speaking. "Team assignments over?"

Sasuke nodded. "We got this Jonin… and he made is wait for hours. Do you know that despite graduating we might still be sent back to the academy," the young Uchiha complained to his mother.

"You can play this game after I go away Sasuke," Naruto stated as he made himself comfortable on the chair in front of the small desk within the study. The blond faced Mikoto before speaking to her. "I have some questions that you can answer. I highly doubt my mother knows anything about it."

Mikoto blinked for a moment and then turned to face Sasuke. She was tempted to say adults want to speak, but merely smiled at her son – it was a bit apologetically because she was going to focus on Naruto instead of answering to his complaints.

"Anything for you, Naruto," Mikoto said with a smile.

"The Hyugas…" Naruto started in a calm tone. "What is the story with Hiashi and his eldest daughter?"

"Why do you think there is something there?"

"Because the Sandaime would not have put her in a team with me for no reason at all. There has to be a reason. If I can know the story, then I might be able find the reason…"

Mikoto appeared to think for a few moments. "Hiashi more or less disowned Hinata because according to him, she is weak. You must have seen it. He has deemed her unfit to be clan heiress and stripped her of that title and handed it to her younger sister. He doesn't look at her fondly… but I am guessing even when the situation is like that, he still does care for his daughter. Hiashi is the only parent Hinata has and considering how much he loved her when she was younger, I highly doubt all that love has disappeared."

Naruto's mind got to work for a few moments. "So he treats her like trash," the blond said. "Well I can see that happening…" he paused before asking. "Have you taken your seat in the village's council as a clan head?"

Mikoto nodded.

The blond tilted his head to the side and smiled. "If you were the Hokage and there was someone you wanted to have the support of the two most powerful clans in the village, what would you do?"

"Why would that be in the first place?"

"Because of an uncertain tomorrow… If a major clan dislikes a certain shinobi, you will do something to get that clan to like that shinobi. Hinata has been put as the bridge between Uzumaki Naruto and the Hyuga clan…" Naruto said standing up. "I will play the Sandaime's little game… enjoy the rest of your day, Mikoto…" the blond turned to Sasuke, but said nothing, he just walked away.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke asked his mother.

"Do you really have an interest in what you're asking, Sasuke?" Mikoto asked calmly.

Sasuke stared at his mother for a long minute before changing the subject.

 **Naruto's House**

Dinner with the Uzumaki: it always a pleasant fare within the house. Naruto would never replace the time he spent enjoying his mother's food with anything else. She was a delightful cook and her food was the best. Perhaps he was saying that because he favoured his mother better than anyone.

"Ino was most displeased that you were not put in the same team as her," Kushina said to Naruto.

The blond merely shrugged. "I bet all she wanted was a muscle to do all her dirty work while she opens her mouth about this and that," he said dismissively.

It wasn't that he hated the girl these days. She could be considered a friend, but the thing was that he was a lot more focused on plotting for his future than playing friends with Ino. With Sasuke it was okay because he had plans for the Uchiha and he was Mikoto's son. He didn't even have to spend time talking about mundane things.

Ino would have her time, but for now, his mind could not accommodate her. He was content with knowing that she was closer and if he ever needed some noise to ring up on his head, he would visit her. It was a little different back then because the girl was focused on blackmailing him, but things are different now. Perhaps it had to do with her growth.

"I don't think she would be happy hearing that," Kushina said. "And what is wrong with being a muscle for her?"

Naruto stared at his mother when he couldn't really offer a response that would please her. Instead he changed the subject. "She must have also told that I got a Hyuga in my team," he said.

Kushina nodded. "She did, and then she said she felt sorry for the girl for being in the same team with you. What is it about the Hyuga anyway?" Kushina asked curiously. "Ino had really seemed worried and even wondered if the girl would even survive you and Sasuke."

"Hinata," Naruto said. "She is a timid girl who can't speak without stuttering. Sasuke's gaze will likely add to the pressure to strip her of her ability to speak. She even struggled to say her name today," of course Naruto would leave out his expression and just tell her about Sasuke. If he told her about his look, she would be questioning him about it.

The Hyuga had done something that interested him though. When she was trapped inside her own little world, she had called his name. There had been no stuttering, but a clear loud voice a gentle Hyuga. It was perhaps fitting. But that little action made Naruto think.

The girl was possibly telling herself that she could do it if she tried. Although Naruto would not say it to anyone, when someone was trying really hard to overcome their struggles, it drew his curiosity and with the Hyuga, it was the same. He was a little interested in getting her to stand on her feet. He was after all going to play the Sandaime's game but on his own terms and agenda.

"Her…" Kushina appeared to think for a few moments before speaking. "Kumogakure once tried to kidnap her and her father killed the man who tried to do it. It caused a major incident. You were not a bad person to her, were you?" Kushina questioned with a narrowed look on her face.

Naruto smiled. He was tempted to say 'of course not, mother' and she would have likely believed it. He shook his head. Could he simply lie to his mother like that? It felt as if it would be simple. Lying came simple after all.

"I will be good to her," the blond said to his mother with a smile.

"That is what I expect of you," Kushina said, with a smile. She understood that there were some parts of Naruto that really scared her. The fact that he was able to adapt well to Anbu life without suffering any strain is an indication that her son was not the little boy she saw in front of her. He had really grown.

Kushina had really been fighting hard to give her son a normal life. She would never say that considering everything, she has done well. She had failed in so many areas. Mikoto didn't agree with what she had been saying. The Uchiha said if it wasn't because of her, Naruto may have been somewhere, perhaps even followed after Itachi.

Much depended on Naruto and no matter how Kushina tried to force things to make him normal, she would not really succeed and Naruto would only try because she was asking him. Mikoto had said it was best to just allow Naruto to be Naruto but always keep her voice active as the moral conscience that would keep him grounded.

"…Something wrong, mother?" Naruto asked, with his cocked to the side, seeing a contemplative look on Kushina's face.

Kushina put on a slightly forced smile, but she quickly dropped it when Naruto saw through her. She sighed and spoke. "I am just happy that you're going to be doing something normal now. You're doing something children wish to do and I have a job… that is as normal as it can get."

Naruto nodded. "At least these days we don't have to worry about anyone trying something else. The villagers are exercising some restraint. I can do missions, you can do work, and we can return here at the end of the day."

"Don't forget to be good with your teammates… teams are all about team work and you're not really fond of that concept. You've usually focused on doing things yourself. This is an important rule with genin cells: team work… it is really an important principle for the functioning of any team really. For the team to be a success, you must be willing to work with others, utilizing each other's strengths to strengthen the team. You also have to cover your teammates' weaknesses. Working in a team means working together for the same objective. It is not Naruto, it is team."

"I almost forget that you're a retired Jonin," Naruto said to his mother. "Well, that is the same principle Anbu go by… well at least the good Anbu. Understanding one's mates is key for the survival and success of the team."

Kushina smiled. "Well, you had good company…"

Naruto nodded. "They were good and friendly people. We got along just fine. It is really simple though. What I have observed is that acceptance of one's teammates is essential for the team to click. If you cannot accept you teammates, you're obviously not going to get along."

"I don't see you struggling though. Kakashi and Sasuke have been in your life for some time, you have trained with both of them. From my experience, some shinobi understand each other through the exchange of blows. You have to integrate Hinata…"

Naruto nodded, he hoped it would not be difficult. But he still had to do it. He needed 'friends' after all. He had come to understand that within this world, you really need people who owe you and people who will be willing to do certain things for you. Without that, it was just a massive struggle.

 **The Following Morning**

 **Training Ground 7**

It was around pass ten and Hinata was still waiting for Naruto and their sensei to show up. She had arrived at the training ground before it was even 8 and Sasuke had arrived five minutes before the said time. Because she had been forced to wake up early, she hadn't even had the time to eat anything. She was usually up by that time, but she had slept a little late last time trying to do some training to improve herself.

She hadn't expected her sensei to be late, again. It was even more of a surprise that Naruto was even late. The blond didn't look like a tardy person. In fact, he dressed respectfully and carried himself with disciple. He was almost like someone who had been forced to grow as a clan heir.

The Uchiha sitting a distance away from her hadn't even said 'hello' to her, she had tried to say something, but the words just died in her throat and she had looked away from him. An hour went, and he kept his patience, but after two hours, he started losing it.

Hinata could not say anything: she merely watched.

But after three hours, when it seemed he was going to explode, Sasuke settled down into a meditative pose. She could have sworn she heard him cursing Naruto's name before he started closing his eyes, whispering words to himself. It had surprised Hinata to see that the Uchiha could actuall-

"Yoh!" Hinata nearly jumped when Kakashi popped up just in front of her. Although she had not jumped, she had squeaked as her heart nearly fled from her ribcage.

Kakashi merely smiled at the girl as he greeted her before turning towards Sasuke: he received a not so subtle glare from the Uchiha – who was now walking towards him.

"You're awfully late," Sasuke muttered in a barely audible tone. "Is this going to be a regular thing?"

Kakashi acted as if he hadn't heard the Uchiha. He was just curious to see how he would react to being ignored. "Where is Naruto?"

Sasuke responded in favour: he ignored Kakashi's question and looked away. He too was wondering the same thing. Naruto wasn't the kind of person to be late for something. If something was holding him up, he would have sent a clone to say that he would be turning up late.

Kakashi blinked. Had Sasuke just blatantly ignored him? Him?

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto gracefully walked into the training ground. Kakashi was certain that the blond had come late on purpose having figured that he would be late again. Ah, this wasn't going to be fun. Who was going to listen to his lame excuses?

"Where were you?" Sasuke asked.

"I was helping my mother at the Yamanaka flower shop, and had the time to stock some weapons," the blond responded calmly.

Sasuke stared at the blond, "But we were supposed to be here at 8."

Naruto gave the Uchiha a look that said he wasn't really interested in an argument. "Was he here at 8?" Sasuke shook his head. "Then you should have no complains. If I know he is going to be late, I'd rather not waste my time waiting for him. Instead I chose to do something useful," the blond said turning to face Kakashi. "Then?"

Kakashi shook his head. If he came up late every time, Naruto would do the same unless there is something that draws him to come here early. If not, this was going to be a daily occurrence. He could not have that and he was positive if Naruto grew tired of waiting; he would definitely play the manipulation game.

The Sandaime had said that Naruto was adept to playing the game because he had learned from him and they usually played it together. One would never really say that the blond was like that when looking at him. Naruto just appeared to be an indifferent person who lacked interest in things occurring around him, but in reality, he did some math inside his head.

When Kakashi became aware that Naruto was watching him, waiting for him, he felt slightly exposed and felt the need to guard himself. If the blond noticed, he didn't express it.

"Right," Kakashi drawled, organization his thoughts. "I already told you that you have to pass today's test in order to become genins…" the Jonin then took out two bells. "There are only two of these bells; you have to get them before 1pm. Whoever doesn't get a bell, fails the test and will be sent back to the academy. You can begin trying to get the bells… Now!" The Jonin flashed away.

"Looks like the Hyuga isn't going to make it," Sasuke said to Naruto. "We are getting those two bells and become Genins. How are we going to do this?"

Naruto looked up for a moment before looking towards Hinata, who seemed to shrink under his watchful gaze. The blond didn't say anything to the girl; he turned to Sasuke and spoke. "Did you try to understand things about shinobi cells, Sasuke?"

"No," Sasuke said, "Is there a need to understand anything about them? We just have to get those bells from Kakashi-sensei and we pass. What is there to understand?"

Naruto looked disappointed for a second. "For someone who is called a genius, you rarely use your mind. Sometimes I wonder if you are even a genius," the blond stated flatly, his expression now indifferent.

If Sasuke wasn't used to this, he would have retorted or come up with something, but he was used to it. Naruto was blunt in his assessments. What was stupid, he called stupid. "Is there something i missed, genius?" Sasuke couldn't help but allow the sarcasm to drip in his tone: it was mild, mixed with some bitterness.

"I have told you this before Sasuke: when you about to face a challenge, don't just charge in. Use your head. Don't act like you don't have it…" the blond then walked closer to Sasuke and leaned over to the Uchiha's left ear. "When my right foot is above Kakashi's head, use your kunai throwing skills get the bells. You understand what I mean by that, right? They should be visible enough to target them. I will handle the rest."

Naruto suddenly disappeared.

"You've really become quite the sensei," Kakashi said, as Naruto flashed beside him – he was sitting on a tree branch. He didn't even have his book with him. He could not risk it with Naruto. The blond was strong after all, and it wouldn't be good when he does give his report and learn that he had been embarrassed by the blond.

"Someone of your calibre should have been given a team before… so I wondered why? Earlier in the morning, I went on to ask the Sandaime about it and he told me you have failed your past students. The old man wouldn't tell me why.

"This test itself is peculiar. Our cells are always made up of three genins and a Jonin. If you fail one of us, we cannot be a team. There is a reason this team was put together, and its either we all pass or we all fail.

"Mother said teamwork is essential in team cells, I have been in Anbu as you; I understand the value of teamwork. There are times you will face a giant, you will have to work together in order to win the battle. If you have given this same test to your last assigned teams, they wouldn't have the chance to getting the bells because you're a Jonin and their just freshly graduated students with headbands." The blond paused for a moment. "I have spoken enough."

Naruto's right foot suddenly lifted up into the air, and flashed towards Kakashi's face. The Jonin raised both his hands to block the sudden kick. The Jonin crossed both his hands in front of his face and blocked the kick and he was still able to hold his position.

Two kunais slid from Naruto's cloak, sliding into the palms of both his hands. He grabbed the kunai on his left hand firmly, and drove it towards Kakashi's head. The Jonin leaned back, while folding his legs with the tree branch to make sure he doesn't fall off the tree as he leaned back. Naruto let go of the kunai and it whizzed past the Jonin's face, imbedding on the tree.

Once again, Naruto made the first move: he jumped forward while twisting around in mid-air to face the Jonin. Another Kunai slipped into the palm of his left hand before Naruto crossed his hands before channelling wind chakra into the kunais. The kunais disappeared from Naruto's hands, and sped towards Kakashi's chest. They hit him, piercing through him.

The Jonin suddenly turned into a log covered by a thick cloud of smoke.

Naruto landed into the ground and walked away from the trees, heading towards the clearing. He found Kakashi waiting for him, eye smiling the Jonin spoke. "Your speed has increased," he said.

"As it naturally should," Naruto responded as he started darting towards the Jonin. As he grew closer, his speed increased considerably and he jumped into the air, throwing a right punch towards Kakashi's face. The Jonin reacted quickly by side stepping the punch before grabbing Naruto's hand. He then lifted up the blond and then flung him over his shoulder.

The blond landed on the ground gracefully and quickly put both his hands in front of his face, creating a defensive wall, both palms were facing him and kunais slid through from the cloak into the palm of his hands.

A second later, Kakashi was flashing a high root foot kick. As he was doing that, Naruto flipped his hands, getting the palms of his hands to face the incoming kick. The kick connected with his defence, and the power behind it sent the blond flying backwards. He quickly recovered by flipping several twice before landing gracefully.

"Huh?" Kakashi blinked, staring at his foot, which was still above the ground. There was a kunai, right between his toes; it had cut through his shinobi boot. "Huh?" Kakashi was at a loss once again when drops of blood started falling down the ground.

"The base of the foot isn't the most sensitive part of the body," Naruto said as Kakashi went down on the ground to inspect his foot.

"I will need stiches after this," Kakashi said with a wince, seeing his blood. It wasn't much to worry him, but how had Naruto cut him.

Kakashi's instincts kicked when he sensed something coming in and fast. He cocked his head to the side and a kunai blew past his right cheek, before he could sigh in relief, he felt something. His mask started to slip through, revealing a cut through his cheek.

"Wind chak-" Kakashi didn't get to finish because Naruto's left foot suddenly crashed into of him, his right slamming down towards his head. Kakashi wasn't a Jonin for nothing; despite being surprised, and his mask slipping through, he managed to protect his face from being exposed by holding his mask together with his left hand while his right blocked Naruto's kick.

It was surprisingly light.

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly when his danger senses kicked in: the Jonin glanced down and saw both Naruto's hands falling on both his hands; the right hand had a Rasengan while the left had a kunai, both attacks poised towards his chest.

The bells on Kakashi's waist dangled as a kunai sped past him. The bells fell down the ground as Sasuke appeared in the clearing from behind Naruto, charging towards the two.

"Get the bells, or save your face from being revealed. But if you try to get the bells, the Rasengan will hit you, and the kunai will pierce through your left shoulder. I am fast enough to hit before you can get the bells and do a replacement jutsu," Naruto said calmly. "But of course, if you wish to test that speed, you're welcome to try."

"Alright you win," Kakashi said quickly and in a hurried tone just to get the danger off his face.

Naruto didn't move, he first allowed Sasuke to get the bells before lifting his right foot off Kakashi and then his Rasengan dispersed. Naruto then made the distance between him and the Jonin.

Kakashi was still holding his mask, and he was still bleeding. "I will be right back," the Jonin said before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I'm disappointed," Sasuke said. "I thought I would get my chance to fight a Jonin, but you did all the work. Well, at least we got the bells," that was something to smile about. This meant that they had passed the test and would not be sent back to the academy. He could go home and celebrate with his mother.

That brother of his was right; looking up to Naruto in fighting would certainly help him. he was a little jealous of the blond, that much Sasuke was willing to admit. But he was happy that Naruto was able to take time to teach him and he knew certain well that the blond didn't hold back when it came to training.

"Come out, Hinata," Naruto called out to the Hyuga before turning to face Sasuke.

Hinata slowly and timidly walked out from the bush she had been hiding. She had been right to think that Naruto was strong and if anything it appeared that he was the teacher of Sasuke. His tone earlier had seemed like a teacher lecturing his student.

Still, did this mean that she was going to go back to the academy? If so, she was as good as dead. Her father had told her that and he was likely never to recognize her again as his daughter. She would probably even be shipped into the branch family – who held no love for her by the way.

Talk about a cursed existence.

The time it took for Hinata to reach her teammates, was enough for Kakashi to get back from wherever he had gone to. The Jonin appeared and stared at Naruto. "You didn't have to cut me you know…"

Naruto shrugged. "I could have slipped a senbon through your hand when you flung me over your shoulder," the blond said nonchalantly.

Kakashi just shivered thinking about that. "How many weapons do you carry in the storage seals hidden under your cloak?"

"A number of them," the blond said.

"So you'd planned for Sasuke to make a move when you whispered something to him. I really should have expected you to do something like that…" Kakashi said. "You did do your homework; that is good."

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "I didn't win because I am strong, I won because I think before I make a move and I had analysed most things about him. It isn't always the strong who win, but sometimes those who think strategically and a few steps ahead of their opponent.

"Kakashi-sensei is a bit careless. I knew if I cut him he would probably sit down and that meant loosening his guard to inspect himself. I knew that the mask is a precious thing and he wouldn't risk letting it slip through. Cutting it in the way I did, meant that even if there was a mask beneath the mask, it would also be cut as well." Naruto decided against adding the book in the equation - that could come another day.

His sensei would have been proud really. Naruto was strong enough to make him work hard, but the blond hadn't engaged him to win the fight, but each move had been calculated, even anticipating what he would do. The kick had been light, that meant the blond had known he would block it and so he put much focus on his hands and balancing himself.

It was almost like fighting against a Sharingan user. Then again, the blond trained with Itachi, he had to know how the doujutsu operated.

Kakashi felt a bit giddy, just thinking about how the blond had executed the plan for today.

"So what are you going to do about the bells?" Kakashi asked looking at Sasuke – who was holding both bells.

The Uchiha threw one to Naruto and kept one but Naruto threw the bell given to him to the Hyuga. Hinata, though, failed to catch the bell. It was almost like it was trying to run away from her as she tried to take it from the ground with her trembling soft hands.

"I don't care if I fail. I will go back to my old job if that is the case," the blond said indifferently. "Besides, this team cannot be a team without another team member. I suppose there is a lesson behind this."

"Like you said earlier, Teamwork," Kakashi said to Naruto.

Naruto appeared to think for a moment. "Sasuke and I can work together just fine… more work will have to be done to get her," the blond said looking at Hinata, "to function. At this point she is more of passenger, but I think we can make it work."

"I will tell you this: in the shinobi world, those who abandon rules are called trash, but to me those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash," Kakashi said a bit seriously. "I guess I can pass you. Meet me here again tomorrow at…" the man appeared to think for a moment before speaking, "10am so that we can get started on team exercises and then our first mission. Don't forget to go fill in your shinobi registration forms by the end of the day. Ja ne…" Kakashi then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto would not have guessed that Kakashi was going to say something like that. he didn't put his mind onto it though. He turned towards Hinata, staring at the timid girl.

"Hyuga Hinata."

Hinata was firmly holding onto the bell that Naruto gave her. She looked down, afraid to look into Naruto's gaze. "Y-yes…"

Sasuke snorted at the weak response. "I'm going home," he said. "Are you coming?" the Uchiha asked Naruto.

The blond shook his head. "I need to deal with this matter," he said walking towards Hinata.

"Do as you like," Sasuke said indifferently, but did not leave the training ground. There wasn't anything he was going to be doing at home and he was sure that his mother was busy with clan matters. The Uchiha walked towards the tree and stayed there, watching Naruto.

Naruto stood just inches away from Hinata; he could feel her heart beat, she was even trembling, and almost looked as if she was about to hit the ground, but for some reason, she kept on clutching the bell he gave her.

Naruto held out his right hand and placed it under her chin before lifting her head up so that he could look into her eyes. Her face grew red, as she struggled to maintain her gaze. A second later, she fell down the ground.

The blond blinked in surprise. 'What just happened?' For a second he looked puzzled.

He knelt down and took her right hand; she was alright, just knocked out. What could have done that?

From the trees, Sasuke had amused himself. He didn't release a full blown laughter, but he had laughed. What was amusing was the puzzled look on Naruto's face. it wasn't always that you got to see that look. The blond rarely showed surprise.

It took a few moments for Naruto to wake Hinata up.

"Attack me, Hinata," Naruto ordered in a hardened tone.

Hinata hesitated. She put the bell on her pocket and asked, "W-why?"

"Because I want to see how good you are… for now I can only see a spineless kunoichi…"

The words seemed to deflate the girl, her shoulders slumped and she seemed ready to cry until Naruto spoke once again.

"Prove me wrong, Hinata."

That seemed to get her on the move, and the girl took a stance before charging towards Naruto. The blond dodged and blocked all her strikes before grabbing her by her right hand, pulling her closer to him before slamming his right knee into her gut.

Hinata let out a pained sound from her lips before falling down onto her knees. Naruto didn't attack her. He just stared at her, and Hinata looked back at him for a second before her eyes went back to the ground.

Humans were despicable creatures full of malice and hate. Naruto looked at them with contempt hidden behind a mask of indifference. Vile humans were always plotting something, and most humans were really inhuman things that Naruto despised.

But this timid girl before him was none of that. it was the first time that Naruto was coming across someone like her. She was gentle, her hands were too soft; she was a fragile little thing. He had thought he would hear glass shattering when he kneed her.

He could tell her to jump and she would probably do it. Her strikes were weak, but he believed she could do better. It was almost like she was afraid to cause pain. A unique trait within a human. She didn't want to hurt anyone, which made her look weak.

Her stuttering and fragility made her look like a pet that needed to be held together and shown how to walk. She wasn't the resentful Sasuke; she wasn't his beloved mother who could tear apart a worthless human in the blink of an eye.

Naruto held out his right hand and placed it on her head. The touch made her tense, when she looked at him; she relaxed, even though he wasn't smiling.

"You're weak minded. You can't make decisions of your own; you can't even voice your thoughts. You're a timid little girl who is just one knock away from being useless…" Naruto paused. "I was right, you're spineless."

Naruto felt it, she tensed, and her fragile face looked as if it was about to break apart. Her eyes were cast down, unable to face his gaze anymore.

"This is the honest truth, Hinata… if you want to survive in a world filled with vultures; you must not hesitate to strike. If you do, you will die within a second. You must be strong, or you will be devoured. Trust in your skills, and you will have the courage to stand on your feet. If you cannot raise your voice, you will be a spineless coward until you needlessly give away your life…" Naruto stated in a hardened tone. "Do you understand what I am saying?"

Hinata nodded.

"Now stand up: activate your Byakugan and attack me. Come at me with the same strength you when you called my name yesterday. Hearing that firm tone, I believed that there was more to you than you let on… Hyuga Hinata, do you want to prove me right or wrong?"

 **End chapter. I am sure that those who follow my stories will be surprised by Hinata's part in this chapter. I have, in the past, spoke of my displeasure with her being closer to Naruto. I am not saying that this will be a Naru/Hina pairing. I have something going on with Mikoto.**

 **I understand some readers may not be too keen see Naruto in a genin team, but he isn't put in a team because he is a genin in terms of strength. The Sandaime's monologue must have explained all that.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Hinata lunged towards Naruto, her right palm glowing with chakra as she aimed a strike towards his right shoulder. The blond shifted to the left, side stepping the strike. Hinata's palm missed him by just inches as Naruto snaked around the girl, before hitting the outstretched right hand, causing her to fall forward a bit.

Hinata moved with grace and fluidity as managed to balance her feet before twisting around, aiming an index finger towards her opponent's forehead. Naruto dodged the strike by leaning back slightly. Hinata took advantage of Naruto's position, knowing that he didn't have much balance and swept her right foot through the ground, moving it towards Naruto's feet.

The blond allowed both his hands to fall to the sides as he allowed his body to fall down the ground. Hinata's leg sweep hit Naruto, lifting up both his feet into the air as his hands hit the ground. Hinata used her Byakugan with precision as she flashed towards Naruto's right side and attempted to hit him on the chest with her open palm.

In a speed that no longer surprised Hinata, Naruto brought out his right hand, leaving his left hand to balance his body. A kunai flung out from the sleeve of this cloak, causing Hinata's strike to hit with the wind cloaked kunai.

Hinata didn't retreat: she crouched down the ground, before attempting to sweep Naruto's left hand off the ground, knowing if she did, he would fall down on his back. Her Byakugan saw Naruto's fingers glow with chakra before he propelled his body above the ground, using the left hand.

When Naruto flipped once before gracefully landing on the ground, a couple of feet away from her, Hinata straightened up and stood on both her feet, hands held up in a stance with her breathing slightly laboured.

This was just part of training that Naruto was having her do. It had been a month since she started with Team 7 and already for Hinata it was like a year. Every morning, she had a training session with Naruto; it was mostly brutal, depending on the mood.

Honestly, Hinata had never felt so alive in her years of living. She was confident, striking with everything when she could, when she hesitated, it was abuse and she knew she would have to visit the hospital to get patched up. At least Naruto didn't go as far as to break her bones.

As he said, she seemed a little too fragile that he was afraid if he broke her bones, they would never mend again.

That had made Hinata flush. While Naruto could be so brutally blunt at times when in training, he believed in her ability, and encouraged her. When she failed to do something he wanted of her, he didn't hide his disappointment. No, he would let her know that her efforts were not good enough and that she had to get up and try again. He would not stop telling her to get up until she did it right.

If anything, he was patient with her and but not so gentle even though he said she was a fragile little thing. There had been at times that Hinata thought perhaps he saw her as something that needed to be protected. That was just her. Either way, she felt alive because Naruto spent hours training her.

Today, she had been told to just attack, and he would merely be defending. There was a rule, if she hesitated to attack, he would attack her. Naruto had gone as far as to nearly slit her throat and even once poked his sword right on her chest, where her heart was located.

There had been blood because really, he hadn't been just pointing his sword at her, it was pressed against her. The one day Hinata's heart had nearly exploded inside her ribcage and her eyes nearly bulged out was when again, she had hesitated and Naruto had hit her on the neck with a senbon.

She had been shocked to wake up in the hospital.

Hesitate and she would be dead. That was the message that he had brutally slammed into her head. Every time she thought of hesitating to attack, she saw those cold unflinching eyes looking at her as a sword cut through her throat or when his senbon pierced through her neck. The memories had become her instinct.

Hinata had been doing her best not to disappoint Naruto and he had been proud of her. The day he had praised her, she had gone home feeling giddy. She hadn't cared that her father didn't ask her why she came home bruised every day.

With her breathing calm, Hinata charged at Naruto once again.

On the side lines, Kakashi popped up on a tree branch just beside Sasuke. The Jonin amused himself in the fact that Sasuke seemed jealous about the attention Naruto gave Hinata. He had heard the Uchiha complain that Naruto spent less time training with him as he does with their teammate. Naruto of course had dismissed the Uchiha's complains with nonchalance.

"Is this ever going to end?" Kakashi asked the Uchiha, with his eyes staring at his beloved book. When Sasuke glanced at the pages, the Jonin held up his book just so the Uchiha doesn't see.

"Who knows?" Sasuke responded indifferently.

"Someone is a little jealous," the Jonin teased with an eye smile.

"I'm not!"

Kakashi merely smiled and turned back to the clearing for a moment as he analysed what was going on. Hinata had really improved over the month, even though they didn't do any real missions, Naruto had yet to complain. Kakashi had expected him to complain since he had been doing high ranked missions in his days at Anbu, but the blond was content with working up every day to see his mother to work and then come here to strengthen the Hyuga.

No one was happy about this more than the Sandaime Hokage. He was sure that the old man would be rubbing it into Hiashi's face soon enough once the girl has removed all her stuttering's. At least she did not stutter in battle and because of Naruto's treatment towards her, Hinata spoke to Naruto a bit confidently than she did with other people. Perhaps it was because if she was stuttering every word, the blond would not talk to her.

Naruto was really a good teacher. Even though Sasuke did complain, Naruto still made time for the Uchiha during evenings when they have done their missions. If anything, progress was going on smoothly.

Kakashi didn't really have to do much with the team. If anything, he was just a mere spectator. Not that he was complaining anyway. He was having fun with being able to get time to read his beloved book and watch the progress of his students.

It didn't mean that he did nothing completely. There were days that he offered his thoughts with the training and he also led team exercises. He didn't have to worry much since Naruto knew the important details about fighting. The Jonin had after all passed on his knowledge to the blond. But when it came from Naruto's mouth, it was a little twisted to fit his personality.

"She has improved though," Kakashi voiced his thoughts. "She strikes and is able to take action in battle."

"Still weak," Sasuke said. "I'll admit she has done much more than I thought she could. But she is still not assertive, merely does everything she is being told to do. Naruto has been singing for her to be assertive but she still lacks considerably."

Kakashi nodded. "At least there is improvement," he said.

Sasuke grunted in response. "It is likely he will force her," the Uchiha said. "More like have her make decisions during missions. The problem with her is that if she flops, it is likely going to crush her, which is why Naruto has yet to do anything."

Kakashi appeared to think about it for a moment, "I think he would do that," he said. "Although, it is surprising that Naruto is actually considerate of someone's feelings as if he really cares."

Sasuke snorted, "Yeah," he said sarcastically. "He's probably just worried of undoing all his hard work. He has yet to really give the girl a smile even though he praises her efforts."

"You don't really think that highly of Naruto in that regard…" Kakashi said.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm just stating the obvious," the Uchiha said with carelessness.

Kakashi shook his head. Well, he could not really say that the blond was the best when he was dealing with emotions and other people. Naruto didn't care much about people, and if Sasuke was saying it, it is because he has seen it with his own eyes. Kakashi reminded himself that the Uchiha was in fact a genius.

With the Sandaime's joy in all these, Kakashi could say he had planned for it to happen and if so, then Naruto must have known. Yet he was doing it anyway. The blond had to have his own reasons. Naruto didn't do charity.

"Come on, let us go and join them…" Kakashi said as he jumped down the ground. Sasuke followed his example shortly and the two walked towards the clearing.

Naruto's gaze fell into the Hyuga, scanning every inch of her body. He hadn't done anything to bruise her today, but merely had her attack him. That was enough for today; he could focus on defence tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. She was improving, that was the important thing.

"You're using the Byakugan effectively and you move with grace. Well, I guess that is being helped by your possession of the doujutsu," Naruto stated. "But overall, you have attacked well. Since you have been given training at a young age, training you makes is a little easy as I don't have to tell you the basics. What you have always lacked is a spine and courage. At least in battle you're improving."

"A-all t-thanks to you," Hinata managed to say, her hand right above her chest as she got hold of the bell that was now tied on her neck. She had even found a way to silence it as it gave away her location when she was running. It has really become her treasure.

Naruto thought of slamming his right foot into her mouth just so she could speak probably, but he decided against it. At least she was no longer fainting. That was something else and she was able to speak. Being assertive was something that she still refused to do. Naruto didn't know whether it was kindness or just a nuisance that was hindering her growth.

Either way, it was really a problem. While she was going to be a useful tool no matter what, he could not have a timid person walking beside him. He had never been timid and shy to speak his mind. Of course there is always the rule of timing.

Speaking of timing; Naruto had yet to deal this into the girl. "There are times in life you just have to be quiet and just nod to what is being said to you. When you do what is instructed of you, don't do it with resentment: do it with a smile. I don't mean that literally," the blond said to the Hyuga. "But a time will come where you will have to speak your mind and if you're not firm, no one will hear you. To get the message through, you must be firm; otherwise it will seem as if you're just giving your opinion."

Hinata nodded, though she wasn't too sure that she would actually reach that level where she would be assertive. Still, Naruto had said she could assertive without being aggressive. For her, it was a matter if standing on what she believed in and not simply folding to the side when someone says so. She had to learn to say no.

Even so, Hinata had never said no before, not even after Naruto drilled those words into her. She was still not strong enough, but she was really happy at her progress and that Naruto wasn't giving up on her. That was really something to smile about.

"Done for the day?" Kakashi asked as he walked towards the two, with Sasuke right beside the Jonin.

Naruto nodded, "Perhaps it is time we do a mission outside the village. We won't learn of our progress unless we are able to handle a serious mission. Besides, I wish to see how these two can handle danger."

Kakashi eye smiled, "I was actually thinking about the same thing," the Jonin said. "I will go to the Sandaime and request a mission. I doubt he will refuse, do make all preparations needed for a mission outside the village: that means weapons, tent and a change of clothes as we may have to camp outside the village."

"Finally," Sasuke grinned, "I get to do some serious business and once we complete this one, we are not going to do those crappy chores you call D-rank missions. Any more of those and I would have gone mad."

Naruto had not really minded: the missions gave him time to work on coordinating both Hinata's and Sasuke's movements as well as assess their teamwork. In the future, they would have to work together in order for things to work according to plan.

"Is there anything for today?"

"I'd been hoping that we'd do another D-rank mission," Kakashi said absentmindedly, his focus on his precious book. "But since we have a mission tomorrow, you should take the time to rest and prepare yourself. Once I have the details, I will inform you before the day ends."

Naruto nodded and placed his hands inside his pockets, "Get checked up to make sure you have no problem," the blond said to Hinata. "Although they don't seem to care, they do pay your medical bills, am I correct?"

Hinata nodded.

Without anything else to say, Naruto started walking away from his teammates and sensei. "Where are you going?" Sasuke asked as followed after the blond. He was looking for an all-out sparring session with the blond so that he could prepare his body for tomorrow's mission.

"I have things to do…" Naruto said calmly. "What is it?"

"I was hoping we'd do a training session together. All out, no holding back," the Uchiha said.

"Maybe later," Naruto said, not showing so much interest in actually doing the training with Sasuke.

Perhaps it was because his mind was filled with far more important things that tying to pump up Sasuke's pride or most likely crush it. He needed to find some information from the Library in the village. Since he is a former Anbu, some restricted information was available to his eyes.

"What are you up to?" Sasuke asked with narrowed eyes.

If there was something he had also learned about Naruto aside from his general lack of care about people, there was also the fact that he wasn't an indifferent person. He may put on a bored or indifferent mask, but there were thoughts going inside that head of his. He hid his thoughts pretty well. You wouldn't know he was sizing you up, when he was looking at you with that indifferent look of his.

But Sasuke knew: Naruto was a scheming person.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke over his shoulder as he responded. "Nothing much," Naruto said. "What do you know about Danzo?"

"Nothing." Sasuke was quick to say.

"Sometimes your ignorance about these things annoys me," Naruto said with his eyes now looking at the road ahead of him. "I have told you that in order to defeat your enemy, you must be able to know what makes them tick."

Without knowledge about the enemy, things would be difficult to combat. Besides that, they also needed to know who the enemies were in the Elemental Nations. If Naruto had other enemies aside from Danzo and the Akatsuki, he would work towards their elimination. But in order for that to happen, he was must have the right information to make a move.

"It's not like the information is available for all to see," Sasuke grunted in response.

"How disappointing," Naruto said disdainfully at the response the Uchiha gave him. "Not everything is made available. You will not be spoon fed everything, Uchiha. There are some things you will have to struggle in order to get. If you think everything in life is free and that you just have to demand it, and you get it, then you're a delusional spoiled little Uchiha prince."

Sasuke grit his teeth in anger. Things had gone back to this point; he really hated the mental beat down he received from the blond. If it wasn't because he was actually grateful for everything the blond has done for his family, Sasuke would've taken out his kunai and plunge it on his neck while he was looking away.

Yes, he did have those kind of thoughts every now and then. It was really difficult not to when the blond always beat him down every time they sparred. He had never won or even came close to winning. What infuriated him was that they were of the same age and yet Naruto was always not just one step ahead of him, but a couple of giant steps ahead of him.

Why should he even be angry anyway? Wasn't he already used to this kind of talk? Sasuke calmed himself and decided to speak about something else. This was how things worked with Naruto. it should not be a problem for him.

"Then, what do you want me to do?"

"Just fix your head and don't be a spoiled child… I will handle what needs to be done, and when the time is right, a move will be made," Naruto said as he created a distance with the Uchiha.

Sasuke didn't bother responding because he was certain that Naruto wasn't making a request but merely telling him what to do.

 **The Following Morning**

"You know this isn't my first mission mother," Naruto said with a deadpanned expression on his face.

His mother was making a fuss about all these and it was really a troublesome thing. Sure he was happy that she was excited for this, but this was nothing compared to what he did in Anbu. This was just his first simple C-rank mission and his mother was acting like it was the first time he was leaving Konoha for a mission.

Kushina stopped going through the things in Naruto's bag and put on a satisfied smile. "Can't you just allow your mother to have this moment Naruto?" Kushina asked with a look on her face. "This is you first real mission for me. I never got to meet your teammates in Anbu and I didn't know what you were doing. But now I know what you're doing and I have met your teammates."

"If you wanted to meet my teammates in Anbu, you could have said so," Naruto said. "While Anbu identities remain a secret, those guys were the kind of careless people who wouldn't have minded coming to see you," the blond explained lightly.

Kushina tilted her head to the side. Naruto had already said that he had been with lively people in his squad, but she could never be sure. Yet if Naruto was saying that they would have no problem in meeting with her, it made her happy.

"I'd be happy to see them one day," Kushina said with a smile. "Are you still in contact with them?"

Naruto nodded. Well, he did need to know what was happening around in Anbu and those people would be willing to share things with him. He was a former Anbu after all. Besides that, Naruto could genially say they were not as the same monkeys he looked at with perfectly hidden contempt.

"Yes," Naruto said.

"Well, invite them over one day," Kushina said before sealing Naruto's bag in a scroll, which she handed to the blond. He placed the scroll on the ground and did a couple of hand seals before touching it. The scrolled disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Seeing that her son was done, Kushina walked over to him, "Give me your hands," she said.

Naruto held out both his hands and the woman folded the sleeves of his cloak and examined the tattoos on both hands before nodding in satisfaction. "Nothing wrong here," she said. "You use these things excessively though," she said.

"Sometimes I use the ones on my sleeves," Naruto said. "But using them is much more effective than just making fireworks. I prefer effective over flashy," the blond said.

Kushina could not disagree with his choice. It wasn't like using the seals did a number on him anyway. She smiled and placed both her hands on Naruto's shoulders before leaning in: she kissed him on his right cheek.

"Be good to your teammates and protect them, okay?"

"Yes mother," Naruto said with a small nod.

"Now run along, you don't want to keep everyone waiting," Kushina said, pushing her son away.

Naruto merely shook his head: his mother was treating him like a little boy again. He was happy that she was happy. But he didn't need her to pamper him like a child as Mikoto did to Sasuke. He wasn't going to tell her to stop though. She was his mother and she was free to do anything.

Without saying anything more, Naruto left his house and went on towards the Hokage tower, where he was sure his teammates would be waiting for him. Kakashi would probably be running a bit late, visiting the grave site once again.

"Where is your bag?" Sasuke asked, seeing the blond looking as if he was going for a diplomatic mission for a few hours rather than a mission that would see them sleep inside tents at night.

"I'm Uzumaki, I don't carry bags, I carry sealing scrolls," Naruto merely said.

"S-seals?" Hinata asked. While not much was really known about the Uzumaki by the general population, Hinata was from a clan and had been once a clan heiress before she was stripped of the right by her father. Even so, she did know that the Uzumaki had been a clan before and not just any clan but a prestigious clan that had strong ties with the Senju clan.

They were known to be seal masters. Well, at least that what she knew anyway. She didn't really understand the whole Fuinjutsu thing as shinobi these days never really considered it in their training. Then again, it was a complex thing that required imagination and incredible skill.

Naruto nodded, "Yes seals," the blond said.

Kakashi appeared before the three as if he had watching from afar, waiting for them to gather. "Come on, guys," he said walking towards the building before them.

The Sandaime Hokage smiled as Team 7 walked into his office; his eyes lingered around Naruto in particular before turning to face the Hyuga in the team. He smiled at the girl. Hiashi was going to be shocked when he does learn that his daughter has really improved. She was considered a failure but they didn't know that Naruto was making her a winner.

Leaving his thoughts, the Sandaime leaned back to his chair and spoke. "Ah, Team 7," he said as if he didn't have his eyes on them every day. "I'm sure Kakashi has already briefed you about the mission. This is your client, Tazuna."

Tazuna glanced over his shoulder and spoke, "I wasn't hoping for brats to be accompanying me," he said. "They can even do it?"

The Sandaime Hokage merely smiled. "They are very capable genins and they have Kakashi with them – who is one of our best Jonins…" his eyes twinkled slightly as he added. "Well, unless there is something you're not telling me. This is as C-rank mission and what you paid for, this is what you get. If you want stronger muscles you request a higher ranked mission. You're likely to come across bandits, they are enough for that… do you think they will come across something much stronger?"

Tazuna held up his hands defensively. "Of course not," he said quickly as he stood up. "Come on, let us go…" he said to Team 7.

"Hinata-chan, Sasuke-kun," the Sandaime said to the two genins. "You can wait outside with Tazuna. I want to with speak with Kakashi and Naruto."

He was the Hokage and the two as told.

"Nothing really gets past you…" Naruto said to the old man. He had seen how the old man's eyes twinkled when he spoke to the client. It was as if he knew the client was hiding something from him.

Sarutobi just smiled. "Well, if I allow things to get past me, I wouldn't survive as a Hokage, now would I?" The old man said. His eyes caught the cover of the book Kakashi had on his right hand. "Is that the new book?" He asked in a serious tone.

"Yes," Kakashi said just as serious as the Sandaime Hokage was.

"Curse that Jiraiya," The Sandaime said. "I told him send me a copy each time he releases a new book. You're going to a mission and it will need your focus, why don't you leave me with that book, Kakashi?"

"No," Kakashi gave a firm and simple response, while holding his book possessively.

"Why did you have us remain?" Naruto asked the Sandaime, wanting to get over things so that he could leave and return as quickly as they could. It would not favour him if they end up taking more time.

The Sandaime cleared his throat as his focus returned to the matter at hand. "I want you to be cautious in this mission. The Wave has been struggling lately; it is likely you will face a difficult task. You will be free to choose how you go with things if this proves to be true. In any case, I am allowing this because I want an alliance with the Wave country."

Both Kakashi and Naruto nodded before the Sandaime released them.

 **Two Hours later**

As the team headed towards the Wave country, Hinata was walking in front of Tazuna with Kakashi covering the rear; Naruto and Sasuke covering the right and left side respectively. The Journey had been a silent one, with Kakashi lost in his precious book and Naruto not looking toward any talk. Hinata couldn't bring any subject and Sasuke was just Sasuke.

Hinata had a feeling that Naruto didn't like their client. It was just a feeling. The blond had remained indifferent since the journey started. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the client had been drinking and had been a little rude to them.

She could not say she really knew what Naruto liked in other people because she really didn't know much about him. Outside of training and doing chores masked in the name of D-rank missions, she didn't spend time with him. Even so, Hinata was certain that Naruto didn't like the client.

"Are there more countries like the Wave?" the silence was broken when Naruto asked. Obviously talking to their sensei.

"Yes," Kakashi said without taking his eyes off his book.

That was rather dangerous. In a world such this and a country could hope to exist peacefully without a shinobi village? In Naruto's opinion, it was nothing but utter madness. Well, it was because of such countries and lands that shinobi earned their money. Certainly if all nations had shinobi, it would be difficult living a shinobi. Payment was only received when one did missions and shinobi villages earned most of their income by accepting mission requests.

Hinata's eyes narrowed a bit as they came across a puddle of water. She glanced over her shoulder, turning to her sensei, but he merely motioned for her to keep walking. Hinata did as instructed and looked at both her teammates: Sasuke had a small smirk on his face and Naruto well, just looked indifferent. With his look, you could never really say that he had actually noticed the puddle.

But Hinata knew better.

Suddenly two shinobi burst out of the puddle after the group passed it. "One down," was heard as Kakashi's body burst into blood.

Simply on the instincts that Naruto had beat into her, Hinata activated her Byakugan and flashed in front of the client, with a stance, ready for action. If it wasn't because her Byakugan could see chakra, she may not have seen Kakashi standing atop of a tree branch, observing them, Hinata was sure that would have been trembling in fear thinking her sensei had died.

Naruto and Sasuke didn't have her thoughts though. Before she had even moved to protect the client, the two had already disappeared. The former had moved faster than Sasuke but both got to work.

Being faster than Sasuke, Naruto took the lead; he darted towards the incoming enemies, his eyes watching them calculatedly. With the two coming towards him side by side, Naruto suddenly jumped into the air, and flipped, taking an upside down position. The two twisted around to face him and as soon as they did so, Naruto flung two kunais from his hands. One hit the one of his left on the left shoulder and the other hit the other on his right shoulder.

Both cursed as the kunais cut deep into their flesh, but were unable to do anything as Sasuke threw two Kunais towards them, each with an invisible thread. The kunais didn't hit the two, but were directed to twist, wrapping the thread around the two, binding them together.

As gravity remembered its job, Naruto outstretched both his hands, infused chakra into his muscles and grabbed the two heads before brutally smashing them together as Sasuke held firm on the binds.

Naruto flipped backwards before gracefully landing on the ground.

"Good work you two," Kakashi said as he appeared before Sasuke and Naruto. He turned to face Hinata: the Hyuga was now on her butt, looking relieved that the danger had passed. The Jonin gave her an eye smile. "You too Hinata: the speed in which you moved to protect the client was impressive. You really have improved."

Hinata flushed at the complement, "T-thank you K-kakashi-sensei," she managed to say.

Was it really hard for her to just say the damn words straight up? Hinata cursed herself. At least Naruto didn't seem interested in her, but was focused on the two enemies he had caught with Sasuke. It just really made her feel otherwise when someone praised her efforts, especially when she knew that she had really done well and they were not just saying it.

Hell, even the damn Uchiha wearing a disappointed look had even said she was improving far better than he had expected. He had even said he hadn't expected her to improve at all.

"I thought she would faint," Sasuke said to Naruto, looking at Hinata. "Still nervous and shaky, but at least not a burden. We know we can do the fighting while she guards the client in case of surprises," the Uchiha added.

Naruto merely nodded.

"Your teamwork still impresses me," Kakashi said to Naruto and Sasuke. "You ran ahead with Sasuke behind. You were like a mask to hide your teammate and used your speed to great effect in order to get their attention while Sasuke trapped them."

It wasn't something Naruto would smile about. These were a couple of idiots and he said it. "Teamwork aside, we were dealing with foolish arrogance. Just because people get into the bingo book doesn't make them strong. They are stupid, they shouldn't have attacked with you in the group and who would have fell for that cheap trick? If it wasn't because they need to be interrogated, I would hav-"

"No need to fill everyone's mind with anything graphic Naruto," Kakashi quickly said, cutting the blond off before he could finish. "I will do the interrogation…"

Naruto merely shrugged and walked away. He didn't want to see because Kakashi was just going to ask them questions. They would probably give them, thinking they would be freed, but it was unlikely. They were missing-nin and there was a bounty in their heads. It was not much, but a bounty nonetheless.

"This is might be a bit troublesome," Kakashi said as he walked up to his students – who were around their nervous looking client. "They were sent by Zabuza, an A-rank missing-nin."

"What about them?"

"I have sent a message to Konoha for them to be picked up," Kakashi said turning his attention towards Tazuna. Under the serious gaze of the Jonin, the client shifted uncomfortably and looked as if he was about to hit the ground. "They were not here for us, but you. You said this mission was just C-class mission, meaning we are likely to come across bandits… tell us what you are hiding."

Naruto glanced over the client: the Sandaime Hokage had been right after all. The damn client had been withholding information from them. If it was another day, Naruto would have considered things, but he was slightly in a good mood. But this was not right. This man could have led them to a dangerous pit that would have threatened their lives.

He had basically gambled on their lives.

"W-well, y-you see," Tazuna started nervously before regaining some of his composure. "The Wave has been really poor because this evil man has taken over our country. We have no money to pay for higher ranked mission. C-rank is what we could afford…"

As Tazuna explained, Naruto reaffirmed his earlier thoughts: not having shinobi for protection in this world was just suicide. A country could not survive without shinobi backing it up. When it didn't have protection, evil monkeys took advantage of the country and enriched themselves.

"There is something that I don't like about you," Naruto started. "I understand that you're trying to save your country – that is indeed a noble deed. But your actions here could have resulted in our deaths. Imagine if the Sandaime had sent a weaker team and Zabuza had chosen to attack himself. They would have likely been killed. Do you understand the consequence of your actions?"

As Tazuna nodded, Kakashi had to agree with the blond. it had been a risk and the only thing that worked out in this situation was that they were strong. This team was perhaps the strongest genin team in Konoha, even despite the fact that they have only been genin for a short time.

"I understand if you're willing to abandon me. This isn't the agreed upon terms of the mission…" Tazuna said.

Hinata looked between Naruto and Kakashi. She understood that the man had lied, but they would not simply abandon him to his death would they? It would be cruel, very cruel and she wasn't sure that she would be able to live knowing that she had left someone to die. It wasn't like he was being stingy. He just didn't have the money to pay for a higher ranked mission.

"That would not be Konoha's way of doing business," Kakashi said. "Besides, the Sandaime Hokage had known there was something you were hiding. I doubt anyone in this team would want to return to Konoha…" each for different reasons of course. With Hinata it would be out of her kindness, Sasuke because of the challenge… Naruto well… Kakashi couldn't say for sure.

"Of course not. This is our first mission outside the village, I am not going to allow anything to stand in the way of that," Sasuke said firmly. He didn't care much about the client and his reasons; he was just looking toward a good battle that would challenge him.

"Hinata, what do you think?" Kakashi asked, giving the girl a platform to speak. He already knew what she was going to say, but allowing her to speak her mind would ease up things for her. She could grow used to speaking in opinions within the group and if she did it regularly, she would end up growing in confidence.

And Kurenai said he could not handle her…

Hinata hesitated, swallowed a lump down her throat before speaking, not to anyone in particular. "I-I think w-we should c-continue…" that wasn't all that she wanted to say, but she stopped there. At least she had said something, with all eyes staring down at her. That was good progress right?

Kakashi gave the girl an eye smile before turning to face Naruto. "Naruto?"

"Considering what the Sandaime said, it hardly matters what I think," the blond said. "But if you're looking for my opinion, let us proceed."

Tazuna let loose of a long breath of relief as the team had come into agreement about taking him to the Wave. He was happy that these people were going to continue protecting him. Some people may have laughed at him and some may have helped him gather the money, but the decision to go to Konoha had been right.

If these people protect him as he builds the bridge, he could finish it with the help of the citizens of the Wave and they could restore their dying nation. Tazuna thanked the gods.

"Diamond formation," Kakashi said to his team as they continued on with the mission.

30 minutes later

"Get down!"

It was Kakashi's cry, but he realized that he really shouldn't have screamed for his students because they had moved quickly to duck under the incoming blade. Kakashi grabbed their client, forcing him into the ground. The large swinging blade sped just above the group and went on to imbed on a tree.

Zabuza flashed on the hilt of the large sword and grinned towards Team 7.

"I was wondering why those two failed," the former Kiri nin said calmly. "Well, that doesn't really matter anyway, I just want the old man. I have no business with you. He is my target and I just want to get him and will be out of your way."

Tazuna trembled slightly. Would they give him to save their own lives? Mission failure wasn't something that was a sin, it happened every now and then. They were shinobi and from what Tazuna knew, they were not the most morally responsible people.

"No can do," Kakashi said a bit lazily.

"I see," Zabuza said before disappearing away from the tree along with his sword. Team 7 followed the man towards a stream of water. The man was floating above the water with his large sword comfortably sitting on his shoulders. "Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi or as they famously call you, Sharingan no Kakashi, the man who is said to have copied over 1000 jutsus…"

Sasuke looked slightly surprised at what he had just heard. Their sensei had copied over 1000 jutsus and was known by missing nins… was the man really something else? What was that about the Sharingan?

He had never really given the man much thought because of his tardy attitude. The man never seemed to have a serious moment in his life and was always looked bored. But to think he was someone famous. Sasuke was surprised.

"Momoichi Zabuza, A-rank missing-nin and a former member of the legendary Seven Swordsman of the Mist," Kakashi said calmly, preparing for battle. "I cannot let you touch the client… if you want to take him, you will have to go through me first."

Zabuza laughed, "Fine," he said. "But bringing children into battle… they are just brats and cannot protect anyone. Not even real shinobi."

Kakashi didn't bother correcting the man. "Protect the client and I will handle Zabuza," Kakashi instructed his team.

A thick mist began to cover the area. That followed then was an immense and suffocating killing intent that washed over the area. Hinata felt fear grip her heart, she saw her death. Her breathing became laboured with her legs and feet frozen. The atmosphere was oppressive, just suffocating.

If this continued, Hinata felt like she was going to piss or lose her consciousness. She didn't dismiss the possibilities of both happening simultaneously.

Hinata wasn't the only one who was frozen in fear, Sasuke was also trembling. So this what it felt like facing powerful shinobi… He had never felt such an oppressive feeling before. Sasuke was afraid; he didn't want to be here. This wasn't a place for him.

"How pathetic," Naruto stated disdainfully, his eyes narrowed towards Sasuke. "I understand Hinata, but you, Uchiha? For someone who sometimes acts all mighty and proud, seeing you shake like this isn't even amusing, it is sad."

Kakashi should have expected the killing intent to affect the two. He hadn't thought that Naruto would be someone who could cower to something as a Killing Intent. "Don't worry, Sasuke, Hinata. This will be over soon."

And suddenly, the oppressive washed away and Hinata was able to breathe calmly. She looked down on her pants to see if she was wet. She may have let slip without even noticing it. It was very much possible and she had felt slightly numb. The Hyuga breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her pants were not wet.

Sasuke couldn't believe that he had been left like that. He shook his head and put on a hard look on his face before responding to Naruto. "I wasn't trembling out of fear, but excitement."

Naruto said nothing – that wasn't really worth responding to. He turned towards Hinata, flicking his index finger and hit her on the forehead.

Hinata winced slightly, holding her forehead and looked up to Naruto.

"Activate your Byakugan and check the parameter…"

"Oh, they seem to have recovered from that rather quickly," Zabuza said, sounding amused. "But you're right about one thing, Kakashi, this will not take long."

Zabuza moved on to clash with Kakashi. The battle didn't last long as Zabuza utilized the disappearing mist to his advantage and then managed to trap Kakashi in a water prison – the Jonin hadn't even used his doujutsu in the fight.

"That was a lot easier than first thought," Zabuza said to Kakashi. "Now the, watch as I slaughter your brats…" the man held a single hand seal and produced five Mizu Bushins. "These should be enough to handle a couple of brats…"

Naruto stared at Kakashi with an expressionless look on his face. "With you trapped, I can decide to take the client away and leave you here…" the blond said.

"That wouldn't be a bad choice," Kakashi said. "But you wouldn't, would you?"

"Do you think I'd let you leave?" Zabuza interrupted the talk between Kakashi and Naruto with a smile on his face. He still kept his hand on the water prison. "You can't defeat my clones and they'd catch you before you can even take three steps away from here."

Naruto didn't look impressed. "For someone who is infamously called a demon, you're a bit arrogant, and your rank is only A-rank. You only won the fight because Kakashi wasn't even going all out," the blond stated. "You chose to attack us here because you're a Suiton user. The existing water makes it easy for you to use your silent killing mist jutsu and some suiton jutsu… I presume. The fact that you have your hand on that," the blond pointed at the prison holding Kakashi, "… is because if you take your hand of it, the jutsu will probably deactivate, thus freeing Kakashi."

Naruto turned to Sasuke and nodded. The Uchiha grinned and went through hand seals, "Katon: Great Fire ball no Jutsu." The Uchiha released a large fire ball jutsu, sending it towards the clones.

"Wind Style: Wind Breakthrough," Naruto released gusts of winds, which slammed into the fireball released by Sasuke. The jutsus collided, creating a fierce force of flames, moving in great speeds with gusts of winds blowing beside it. The jutsus exploded when they collided into the clones. Explosion was mixed with intense flames and gusts of winds, before steam came out as the clones were destroyed.

Zabuza looked surprised that the brats could use Ninjutsu of this level. He soon wiped off the look on his face and grinned. "Well, maybe you're real shinobi, but what are you going to do? Those were just mere clones. I can create more of those and you'll probably run out of chakra."

"So will you be," Naruto pointed out.

Sasuke hurled a large shuriken towards Zabuza after jumping from behind Naruto. The shuriken twirled through the air as it sped towards the target. Although slightly surprised by the quick attack, Zabuza still managed to dodge the shuriken by jumping up slightly while maintaining his hold on his water prison jutsu.

The moment shuriken went past Zabuza, it burst into a puff of smoke, causing Zabuza to twist his head to look behind him. Naruto had appeared in a puff of smoke and was doing the same hand seals he had done before. Zabuza's senses went off when Sasuke closed the distance between them as well, building up chakra.

"Futon-"

"Katon-"

"Shit," Zabuza cursed as he allowed his grip on his water prison to slip. He was forced to jump away from the two. But he was soon disappointed when the two didn't release any jutsu and what made matters worse was that he had been forced to free Kakashi as well.

Naruto walked on the water, walking towards Zabuza. He then suddenly disappeared in a blur and flashed in front of Zabuza. The man reacted quickly by swinging his sword towards the blond. The sword cut through Naruto on the waist, but the blond suddenly burst into a murder of craws. The craws cawed loudly.

Zabuza widened his eyes when he found himself staring at two Sharingans.

Hinata suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke right behind Zabuza with her Byakugan activated. She quickly hit the man on both his shoulders, shutting off some chakra points. She basically rendered his arms useless.

Zabuza responded by flashing a backwards kick towards the Hyuga's gut. The foot crashed into Hinata and sent her flying, but she was saved when Naruto's clone flashed behind her and grabbed her gracefully.

Kakashi held out his right hand, birds started chirping as lightning engulfed his right hand. As Kakashi was speeding towards the missing-nin, a senbon whizzed through the air, heading towards Zabuza. It hit him on the neck, causing him to fall down the ground.

The Jonin halted as a masked nin flashed beside the missing-nin, but the moment he did so, Naruto flashed behind the nin, a kunai pressed against the his back. Haku was at least shocked that the blond had moved so fast to get behind him… it was as if he had been expecting him.

"I am a Hunter-nin from Kirigakure," Haku said calmly. "I have been looking for him for quite some time. As you might know, he is a rogue ninja from Kiri and it is our job to hunt people like him and dispose of them."

"You were watching us," Naruto said. "You waited until this moment to make a move… that is curious. But in any case, I don't care if you're a hunter nin or not. That man attacked us. I consider it a crime that must be punished by death."

"I will usher him to the doors of death…" Haku offered.

"It is alright Naruto," Kakashi said. "Let him to do as he pleases. We have our mission that we must do. We have to move towards the Wave…"

Naruto didn't want to, but he ended up putting away his kunai away and walked away. The moment he turned his back on the nin, Haku knelt down and picked up Zabuza before disappearing.

Kakashi blinked as he had his mind work out a few things. "You said he had been watching the fight and chose to enter the battle when we were about to kill Zabuza…" the Jonin appeared to think deeply. "Maybe we shouldn't have allowed him to go. Hunter-nins erase their targets right on the spot. Could he have been an ally?"

"Hinata," Naruto called. "Open your field of vision. We can still catch him."

Kakashi waved his hands a bit dismissively. "There is really no need for that. If he comes back, I will take things seriously. Besides, we have a client to protect. If we focus on chasing them, we break away our formation…" the man paused for a moment. "You had Hinata activate her Byakugan before I started fighting Zabuza so that you can get a clear view of our surrounding…" he stated.

Naruto merely nodded.

"How did Hinata get behind Zabuza so fast?"

"I charged head on purpose to attract his fullest attention. I managed to transform into a craw and replaced myself with Hinata: she already knew what she had to do…" Naruto explained lightly.

Kakashi smiled. Given Naruto's strategic mind, the three of them may have ended up doing some damage to Zabuza. Hinata had disabled his hands that gave them a huge advantage over the man. The collaboration jutsu had been used as a smoke screen to hide the plans being made and Naruto's transformation into a Shuriken.

This team was truly blessed. Naruto was able to think, and both his teammates followed his orders without complains. He had not thought that Hinata would actually attack Zabuza… but she had. Naruto may not have given her choice in the matter. He may have told her that he was going to do the replacement jutsu whether she liked it or not. If she did not attack, she would have been in danger.

"Your teamwork never ceases to amaze me. You did well against an A-rank shinobi," the Jonin said happily. "Maybe I should also start taking my responsibilities seriously…" Kakashi said in deep thought.

Hinata winced as she walked towards the others… that kick had really hurt her. Naruto had told her it would come and she had to use her Byakugan to defend or even strike the chakra points on his leg, but her nerves had gotten the better of her and she had failed to do anything.

At least it hadn't been a complete failure. They still managed to overcome their challenge.

The Team rested for a few minutes before they headed towards the Wave country. It didn't too long before they reached the country and went through a boat while hiding from more enemies. Once they made it through to the Wave, Tazuna led them towards his house.

 **The Following Day**

Sasuke had been really surprised when Kakashi took them into the woods and said they were going to train and he would be leading their training. Since they became a team, Kakashi never really took interest in showing them anything more than teamwork exercises. He would admit that they did help with the missions, but much of their cooperation and coordination was thanks to Naruto.

The blond was usually the one who handled training. Either way, as they sensei, Kakashi ought to have been doing something better. In any case, he wasn't complaining that much because he was not lacking in terms of training.

"What did Zabuza mean when he called you Sharingan no Kakashi?" Sasuke asked something that had been bothering him.

"Hmm?" Kakashi glanced towards the Uchiha over his book before turning his eyes towards the book once more. "I have a Sharingan." The Jonin said a bit carelessly.

"What?!"

"I am not an Uchiha," Kakashi said firmly, changing his tone from the careless one. "The Sharingan I have was a gift from a friend of mine who died during the Third Shinobi World War. I had lost my left eye and half of his body had been crushed. Since he was dying, he had me take it since I had lost my eye."

"That is a first," Sasuke said, his tone slightly indifferent. "I never expected a non Uchiha to wield my clan's doujutsu. Does my mother know about this?"

Kakashi nodded. "Everyone in the Uchiha knew. Your father approved of my use of the doujutsu even though some members of your clan just wanted for the eye to be gauged out of my eye socket," the Jonin stated his last words in a careless manner, which was just wrong.

"I have never seen you use it before…"

"He isn't Uchiha, so the eye consumes a lot of chakra and for a non Uchiha, he cannot deactivate it, hence it is always hidden…" Naruto responded calmly. That was something that Sasuke ought to know. But the Uchiha was an ignorant idiot.

Kakashi stopped walking and faced his team - they had reached their destination. "Hinata, as you're a Hyuga, I assume that your chakra control is excellent."

Hinata nodded.

"Excellent," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, can you do tree walking?"

Sasuke nodded, "Naruto taught me," he said.

Kakashi sent Naruto a look before speaking once again. "Your elements…" he trailed off when Naruto spoke.

"Sasuke its Fire and Lightning…. Hinata it is water," the blond said. "You should teach Sasuke a Katon jutsu and Hinata a defensive water jutsu. Lightning on Sasuke needs a lot of work. I would take on Hinata's training in this, but I don't know any water jutsus. Given her excellent chakra control, it would be good she learns medical Ninjutsu. We don't have that in the team… as a man who has copied over 1000 jutsus: that should be okay for you, no?"

Kakashi glared at Naruto. "I hate you… you're taking my job…" the Jonin said. "Go away and guard Tazuna. This is your punishment and don't think of coming here…" he paused for a moment. "And do bring us lunch, okay?"

Naruto said nothing – he merely turned around and walked away with his hands inside his pockets.

Kakashi created a clone which led Hinata towards a stream of water while he remained behind to deal with Sasuke. "What have you really been focusing with Naruto?"

"Speed, taijutsu, reflexes, the mind…" Sasuke paused. "…his favourite, meditation and standing still on a tall log while he is throwing senbons at me. They don't all miss, some hit me."

Both Sasuke and Kakashi winced in thought.

"Meditation helps you remain calm. Naruto is able to think and analyse things because he always calm. Have you seen him lose his composure? For you that is a weakness. When you lose your composure, you're likely to just charge towards the opponent…" Kakashi said. "I think he has been doing a good job…"

"I didn't say he wasn't," Sasuke said. "Which jutsu are you going to teach me?"

 **Later that Day**

Naruto was sitting around the dinner table with Tazuna, Tsunami and her son all around. He felt uncomfortable with the setting. It was strange eating with a lot of people without his mother. He had never actually had a home cooked meal without his mother present. Many people were just the Uchihas during those good days.

The day before he had refused eating with everyone and had eaten what he had sealed up in a scroll, but there was nothing left now.

It didn't take long for his teammates and sensei to walk back into the house, both Sasuke and Hinata battered and worn out after a stressful day in the training ground. Naruto was content with the fact that Kakashi had bothered doing something useful. As a sensei, the man had been rather useless. Perhaps he had believed they were not ready for the strong things with Shinobi.

Naruto mentally slapped himself for having such a thought. It was just ridiculous. He was a former Anbu and Sasuke had survived the Uchiha incident. Hinata on the other hand was lacking and was really abused at home. Training to become stronger was the only way she could be accepted in her home.

"I was starting to think that you'd miss dinner," Tsunami said with a smile. The woman then stood up and went on to get more plates to serve the three. Her movements were a little hurried but she handled the delicate plates in her hands with care before pushing them towards the last three members of Team 7.

Naruto stayed silent as he watched everyone take in food into their plates – he had already prepared something and he was eating, but not hurried, just slowly as if he was savouring the food. That was not the case though.

"How did it go at the bridge?" Kakashi asked Naruto. The blond hadn't bothered returning to the training place, he had stayed at the bridge protecting Tazuna while he trained Hinata and Sasuke. Tsunami had been the one to bring them food.

"Fine," Naruto said calmly. "Your end?"

Sasuke didn't allow Kakashi to respond, he jumped into the opportunity to gloat over his success at mastering a new jutsu. "Kakashi-sensei taught me a new fire jutsu… I managed to learn it after hours of practise. Since I was using too much chakra, he had me do water walking, but that was the hard part. I wasn't able to master it." The Uchiha sounded disappointed with the failure.

Naruto glanced at the Uchiha – who was sitting three chairs away. He didn't say anything, but merely gave a nod to acknowledge that he had heard him and what he had achieved was acceptable.

"Hinata's chakra control is really something else. I hadn't really looked into it, but it is impressive. She was able to learn a water wall jutsu and water walking in just one day. We were not able to do more because of her low chakra reserves, but tomorrow is another day."

While Sasuke looked sour over the fact that Hinata had completed over everything she had been tasked to do, the Hyuga looked flustered. Her sensei was basically praising her efforts and when it came from someone like him or Naruto, it made her melt because she knew they would never praise her unless she had done something good.

Naruto looked over the Hyuga before returning to his food. A few moments passed before he finally responded. "When we return to Konoha, you must find someone to help her with Medical jutsu. That is another art that requires exceptional chakra control. If she is able to use it with her Byakugan, it will be effective and will make her an all-round fighter. Sasuke needs someone to help him with his lightning. I am sure you can help in that regard since it is also your element."

Kakashi gave Naruto a look before shrugging. "That is just too much work," the Jonin said carelessly. "The days are still young…" He paused for a moment before speaking once again. "I will guard Tazuna in the morning till noon while you work with Hinata. Sasuke will be busy with water walking."

Naruto merely nodded.

"Why do you even bother?" Inari asked, speaking for the first time. "You're all just going to die. No one can defeat Gato. Those who oppose him are killed. You will also be killed. Just forget about everything and return to Konoha."

Naruto ignored the kid and focused on his food.

"We are shinobi and as far as I have been able to gather, Gato uses bandits. We can handle them. You can rest easy, we will defeat him." Kakashi said calmly.

"You don't get it do you?" Inari asked quietly. "Gato is too powerful. Everyone says they will fight him win but in the end, they die."

"Inari," Tsunami said in a calm and soothing tone. "Please calm down and eat your dinner."

"I'm not hungry anymore and I am just trying to help them. Shouldn't you also say something as well after what we experienced?!" The boy ended up shouting at his mother.

Naruto's eyes fell on the boy, just cold. When Inari caught those icy blue eyes, he flinched. "What an annoying little child. Ungrateful… your mother is trying to help and you yell at her? Shut up and eat your dinner or I will grab that plate and shove it down your throat before making you apologize for your lack of respect."

Inari quickly got up and rushed away.

Naruto merely shrugged. At least he could eat in silence without an annoying little voice yapping nonsense.

Sasuke shivered thinking about the day Naruto hit him with a frying pan straight on his forehead and then threatened to break his fingers, all because he had been rude to his mother. The blond was rather somehow when it came to mothers. Well, only when it was convenient for him. Sasuke was sure that the blond didn't really care about Tsunami, but rather he found Inari to be an annoyance.

"You could have gone a little smoothly, you know," Kakashi said with a sigh.

"Tell what happened," Naruto said to Tazuna. "After hearing the story, Hinata, go find the boy deal with it. It should also help you with your own emotional stuff," the blond said as he got up. "Thank you for the food," and he walked away.

"He isn't a very nice person, is he?" Tazuna asked, looking at the retreating blond.

"Depends," Kakashi said with shrug. "Can you please explain to us what is going on?"

 **Two Days Later**

Naruto was sitting at the edge of the bridge, eyes looking at the water flashing below. The rest of his teammates and sensei were helping out Tazuna build his bridge. Naruto did have a number of clones helping out. In fact, he made much more men power than Tazuna could afford.

The reason for helping was simple. He wanted to go back to Konoha. This mission was becoming a bore. It would have been okay if he was busy running away or chasing after something, but waking up every day to guard someone was really becoming a problem, especially with his poor mother waiting for him back in Konoha.

The blond looked up into the sky.

He didn't get to wonder in thought as a mist began to gather at the bridge. The blond didn't get up, but merely dispelled all his clones so that he could ready himself. It was certain that Zabuza had returned for another battle. Naruto hoped Kakashi would fight with all he has around. It would be annoying if the man chooses that he needs to be saved, again.

As the mist grew thicker, Naruto turned away from the water, and faced the bridge. It was good that Hinata was already guarding the enemy with her Byakugan activated. He had taught her too well. Over relying on her doujutsu would not be a good thing, but this case demanded that she use it while he relied on his senses to do the trick for him.

The blond didn't say anything when Sasuke walked up to him. He just remained silent and watched as things unfolded.

"I have come for another round, Kakashi," Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist.

Kakashi lifted up his headband and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. He had to take things seriously now. If he screwed up, Naruto would certainly be unwilling to help him out until he was hurt. Kakashi could see the blond shrugging indifferently when asked why, 'it is your fault for not using everything you had.' Naruto could say something like that.

"It won't be like last time, Zabuza," Kakashi said in a firm tone. "I will end this quickly.

Naruto and Sasuke just watched on as Kakashi engaged Zabuza. The battle waged on for a few moments before both were surrounded by ice mirrors. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked around the chilling prison that had been made for him and Sasuke.

Haku flashed in one of the mirrors with several senbons in his right hand. "I suppose if I ask you to stand down and allow Zabuza-sama to complete his mission, you will not do so…"

"You suppose?" Sasuke muttered sarcastically.

"If you're going to get in Zabuza-sama's way, I have no choice but to eliminate you," Haku stated calmly before throwing multiple senbons towards the two as he flashed towards another mirror.

The senbons came in fast and quickly and from several mirrors. Sasuke and Naruto ended up getting hit by the senbons, but managed to avoid getting hit in vital places.

Seeing Haku flash to another mirror, Naruto sped towards the mirror in incredible speed and drove a punch towards the ice user. The ice user flashed away to another mirror as Naruto's punch crashed into the mirror but failed to even leave a dent behind.

Naruto didn't look surprised.

He was forced to flash away beside Sasuke once more when Haku threw senbons towards him while he was still close to the mirror.

"Sasuke," Naruto started, his eyes staring at his fist. "Activate your Sharingan to follow his movements and release a katon jutsu."

Sasuke smirked as he activated his doujutsu. He knew that a faster opponent could make the Sharingans ability to predict movements useless. Naruto had proved time and time again that unless his body was fast as the Sharingan, he would be hit by the things he had 'seen.'

Watching Haku flash to another mirror, ready to launch another wave of senbons towards them, Sasuke sped through hand seals before inhaling air inside his lungs. "Fire Style: Great Fireball no Jutsu!" Sasuke released a large ball of flames that charged towards Haku. The ice user managed to flash towards another mirror but the fire based jutsu was unable to melt the mirror even after crashing into the mirror.

Sasuke didn't have time to curse at the ineffectiveness of his jutsu. He twisted around, foreseeing senbons charging towards Naruto. He quickly pushed the blond to the side, and the senbons blew past between them.

'I made it in time,' Sasuke said, relieved. He glared back at Haku. There was not even a scratch. What was made out of those mirrors anyway?

Haku had been surprised to see the Sharingan, but it mattered not. As long as they were inside this mirror, they would not escape. No one had managed to do that before. "No matter what you try, you cannot break the mirrors…" he said to the two before flashing towards another mirror.

"Behind!" Sasuke shouted as another wave of senbons reared towards them. Naruto reacted quickly and blew wind from his mouth, deflecting all the senbons.

He held out his right hand. A malicious chakra that unnerved even Haku surged through the mirrors as Naruto formed a ball of chakra, but diluted by another form of chakra. Naruto had simply created a Rasengan using some of the Kyuubi's power. It would make it effective against the mirrors. He pushed chakra into his leg muscles and right hand for more power.

"Sasuke…"

"Hai hai," Sasuke said responded calmly, knowing what Naruto wanted him to do even though the blond hadn't said a thing. The moment Naruto made that jutsu; Sasuke had known that Naruto would need his doujutsu to make a move.

Sasuke traced Haku and stared at him for a moment, before taking out a kunai. He lunged towards the mirror in which Haku stood. The moment he reached it, Haku flashed away. Sasuke saw this with his Sharingan and threw the kunai where the ice user was going to stop.

When Haku stopped into another mirror, Naruto flashed in front of him, with his eyes flickering red a bit as the blond crashed his jutsu into the mirror. Much to shock of Haku, the mirror shattered when the Rasengan crashed into it.

Haku still managed to get away from the jutsu, but when he landed on the ground, a distance away, Naruto was right in front of him, right foot raised high. The kick slammed into his mask, cracking it as he was sent backwards.

Haku recovered as Sasuke joined Naruto. There were sounds of chirping birds once more. Haku could remember the day he had heard that sound, and he was sure Zabuza would have been killed. He looked towards his master and saw the man bleeding heavily through his left shoulder as if he had been stabbed. He looked tired as well and was held back a hound of dogs.

With Kakashi making his move, Haku made his decision.

Kakashi was surprised when Haku jumped between him and Zabuza. He could not stop his jutsu from plunging into the ice user's chest. Zabuza grinned, having gotten the chance to attack. But the grin vanished a second later when he sensed something.

Naruto had seen Haku moving and decided to attack Zabuza instead when he realized that Haku was going to protect the man. The blond flashed behind the missing-nin above the ground, twisting around with his sword held firmly, wind blazing through it for sharpening. The immobile Zabuza didn't have a chance to do anything when Naruto's blade cleanly cut through his neck, separating the head from the shoulders.

Kakashi just watched as Zabuza's head hit the floor.

Naruto landed down and walked over to Haku who was still alive. He didn't care for the man he had killed. "Why did you protect him?" it was a question of curiosity more than anything.

"B-because he was m-my m-master and I, j-just his t-tool. In the end I-I f-failed…"

"I see," Naruto looked away.

He would not fail to protect what he loved. He would not end up like this. He could not die in front of his mother and only for her to die a second later. It was just unacceptable. Uzumaki Naruto would win this battle and he would never say something like that.

Failure was not acceptable. He could not afford it.

"Ah, it seems that the demon as fallen," Gato said carelessly with a smirk as he walked over the bridge with a large number of mercenaries just behind him. "Well, he was worthless anyway… couldn't kill a couple of shinobi…"

"Umm, Naruto," Kakashi said. "I may have overused my Sharingan," the Jonin said and a second later, he fell down. Naruto just glanced over his shoulder and looked back at the monkeys before him.

Worthless humans polluting this beautiful world with crime and all sorts of evil intensions. Disgusting humans. He needed to rid of such scumbags from this world. His mother could never be free to leave the Konoha and just enjoy seeing the world with people like them around.

The blond strengthened his grip on the hilt of his sword as he took a step forward.

"Ah ah," Gato said wagging his index finger. Tsunami was brought forward, tied up. "We have the daughter of Tazuna if you make a move, she dies. Give me Tazuna and I will give you the worthless woman."

A mother held as a hostage. Worthless humans.

"Hinata," Naruto said. "Take Tazuna and get away from the bridge. Sasuke, if you don't want to be painted red by blood, take Kakashi-sensei and follow Hinata."

That was the only warning they got before Naruto disappeared.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hokage Office**

"Team 7 returning from a successful A-rank mission," Kakashi reported to the Sandaime Hokage as his team walked into the office of the Hokage.

The Sandaime smiled at the team, "A third one," he said. It was their third successful A-rank mission. After the success of their first mission, he had thought it was okay to give them hard challenges. Kakashi had after all praised their teamwork.

The Hokage knew first hand that Naruto was a remarkable shinobi and with his mind pulling the strings behind, he knew unless they were faced by an immovable object, they would always succeed. Some people were against his decisions, but the Sandaime Hokage didn't really care about what people were saying. Everyone had their own thoughts about certain things.

Even if it was members of his own council making the noise, He was the Hokage and thus the commander of Konoha's military power. He could move his pieces as he saw fit.

"Your team has bettered all other teams," Sarutobi said to Kakashi. "And I have really become surprised that you have decided to take your duties as sensei a bit seriously," the old man added.

While putting Kakashi in charge of Team seven he had thought of the possibilities of Kakashi slacking off from his work, but he had not minded. Naruto wasn't the one to slack off and since the blond was already training Sasuke, he would have to take Hinata in as well. He had accounted for things for things to get well even with that.

Hinata was improving and he was really happy with it. Of course her clan didn't know about it, and the Sandaime wasn't going to burst Hiashi's little bubble. No, he would leave things for Naruto. He was sure the blond was working some scheme. He didn't mind at all. It was working within his agenda after all.

Sasuke was growing steadily and that had brought the elders to barge into his office to demand that special care be given to the boy when it became known that he had awakened the Sharingan. As the only Uchiha in the village using the Sharingan, that was really big news, but the Sandaime was content with how things were proceeding and so he had shot down the thought.

"Well I am blessed with some remarkable genins," Kakashi said a bit lazily, but still had an eye smile.

The Sandaime nodded, "Indeed," he said. "Well I think the only team that could match yours is Gai's team. They have some capable genins with them and his team is a year older than yours… I believe they have your cousin, Hinata. He graduated on top of his class and is hailed as a prodigy of the Hyuga clan, despite being from the branch family."

Naruto didn't fail to notice how Hinata reacted when the Sandaime spoke. It was always something when the Hyuga clan was involved. The girl could never really muster the courage to speak out. Well, Naruto had never really ventured into that area. He was really waiting for the right time to work things out.

For things to work out for him, Hinata had to regain her title as clan heiress. Yes, that would suit him best. He needed the Hyuga's political power.

It was also something else knowing that someone from the branch family was a prodigy and not from the main family. The slave was the best, better than the master. How ironic and amusing at the same time. Naruto figured the Hyuga's had had a hard time dealing with it. He was certain whoever this Hyuga was; he held some resentment towards the main family.

He didn't have much use for that, but those holding much anger in them could be swayed easily. Naruto wasn't going to go that path. Hinata could kill all the birds if he played his cards right. Nothing extreme had to be done on his part.

"Please don't mention that to him," Kakashi more or less begged the Sandaime Hokage. "Ever since he started hearing about this team, he has been requesting a challenge to see which team is better. Of course I have always refused, but if he hears if from you, he will force the issue."

The Sandaime chuckled lightly. "I will see that I don't," he said. Before the Sandaime could say anything, there was a knock on the door. "Enter," the Hokage said.

Team Asuma walked the office. "Kakashi," Asuma said as he stood beside the Jonin. "Off to a mission?" He asked, seeing the bags the genins were carrying.

Kakashi shook his head, "We just returned," he said.

Asuma glanced over to the three Genins. He first looked at the Uchiha and then at Naruto, lastly his eyes fell onto the Hyuga in the room. If you didn't count, Hinata, they looked to be a formidable team. The atmosphere between Naruto and Sasuke was interesting to say the least. They looked like capable genins.

Well, the Uchiha was a genius and the other one delivered the killing blow on Zabuza. Asuma still could not really believe what Kakashi had told him. It was just unbelievable. There had been nothing special about Naruto that anyone talked about. Shikamaru has only said he wouldn't want to face Naruto, not in a physical battle but in a battle of wits.

The Jonin smiled as a thought came to mind. Kakashi's team was the best as it was said, and Asuma could say that it was unfairly put. Considering that one member was a Sharingan user and the other was a Jinchuriki. That was just a problem.

"We have completed our B-rank mission," Asuma said with a smile.

Ino looked at Naruto but she didn't speak to him. The blond wasn't the friend that she had gotten to know. Naruto before her was no longer her black knight, but had become Hinata's knight. She had heard that the blond spent time training with her by the blond's mother. Kushina had even gone as far as to say that she had even invited the Hyuga over to their house for a meal.

Perhaps Ino was just jealous that another girl was within Naruto's shadow and she was no longer there with him. He had used his power to protect her, but now he was using it for Hinata while she was stuck with her lazy teammates.

Of all people to get Naruto's attention she never thought that Hinata would be one of them. Naruto didn't do pity. She knew that first hand. Her Naruto would have simply looked away if someone was crying for help. He was cold like that, and Ino had liked that indifferent side of him.

Ino left her thoughts when she saw that everyone, but Naruto was leaving the office. She followed her teammates from behind, but before she left the office, she glanced at Naruto. The Yamanaka was the last one to leave the office and once she was out, she looked at Hinata with a smile.

"So Hinata…" Ino started in a slightly innocent tone. "What's up with you and Naruto?" She went on about to ask the question just like that. Everyone in team 7 and Asuma went on to give the girl a look at her question. "What?" Ino asked seeing the looks she was being given. "I'm just curious."

Hinata just wanted to run away now. There was really nothing going on between her and Naruto and that was the truth. But the fact that Ino had asked such a question and gotten her mind racing to the possibilities and a certain question like, 'what if.' Luckily for her, Shikamaru responded.

"What don't you just go and ask Naruto himself?" The Nara said.

He had merely said that out of curiosity as he wanted to see how his teammate would respond to the question. He did have some moments with Naruto in a game of shogi. That was all they did anyway. Naruto did not chill to relax; he sharpened his wits in a game with him and then retreated back to his activities.

Ino wasn't really taking her shinobi life seriously and considering how serious Naruto was with his life, well, considering everything, it was understandable. It was obvious that they would not get along as they used to. Perhaps if Ino focused on training, then Naruto wouldn't be distancing himself from her.

With more time he spends playing shogi with Naruto, Shikamaru has discovered that the blond only uses pieces he sees as useful. If a piece is useless on the strategy he has, he was going to sacrifice it or just discard it. The blond had even mused on just throwing it away if it was within the rules of the game. It was really possible that Naruto didn't see any benefit in associating with Ino anymore.

"That bastard probably wouldn't answer me," Ino said with a frown on her lips. Naruto would never ignore her if she tried talking to him. He had never done that, but that didn't mean he would answer every question she asked.

"You jealous..?" Chouji asked the Yamanaka. "… Or just mad that you have been replaced…"

"Of course not!" Ino exclaimed. Hinata wasn't her competition. She was sure that Naruto didn't do the thing of liking girls. But that didn't mean that it didn't bother her when he gave his attention to another girl aside from her.

"A-ano," Hinata started playing with her fingers. "N-naruto-kun is just my t-teammate and s-sensei…" the Hyuga managed to say before saying her goodbye to Kakashi.

"Don't forget that we meet again tomorrow," the Jonin called out as the Hyuga rushed away from the group. Hinata nodded before she disappeared into a corner.

"So Kakashi, how about braai later on with our teams?" Asuma suggested.

Kakashi shook his head. "Already made plans," he said. "Maybe some other time…" he turned towards Sasuke and spoke. "Tomorrow at 10am… usual place…" he was gone in swirl of leaves after those words left his mouth.

 **Meanwhile**

"You've really done well in the team," the Sandaime said to Naruto. Well, considering the fact that the blond was strong enough to be Jonin at least, it was something. Someone would have struggled to pull it off, but Naruto was doing well. That was why he was not denying Team 7 A-rank missions.

Perhaps it was a little unfair to other teams but as long as no one was complaining, the Sandaime was content with how things were. The mass shinobi may not know, but Kakashi's team literally has two Jonins and two Genins – Sasuke could even be considered a low Chunin if one liked to be put an argument in the matter.

It was okay since most people thought that Uchiha was the star of the team and the rest of his teammates were just learning from him. The Sandaime couldn't wait for the day Hinata proves everyone wrong and when Naruto does show Konoha what he can really do.

"I have not been focused on the fact that I have been reduced to a mere Genin. The rankings really mean little to me. Besides, with the mission I have been doing, it hardly matters," Naruto said.

The Sandaime nodded. "The Chunin exams are going to happen in this village the day after tomorrow," the old man paused for a moment to examine Naruto's reaction to the news – he got nothing and so he just continued speaking. "Kakashi will nominate your team to enter the exams even though Sasuke and Hinata can be said to be fresh genins. I believe with the amount of effort you have put in them, those two can make the village proud."

Naruto merely nodded. He reasoned knowing that the Chunin exams were coming and going to be held in the village was one of the reasons the Sandaime Hokage decided to put him as a genin. The old man probably wanted him to make a show in front of the whole village.

"They are ready," Naruto said. "Sasuke would go on a rampage if he is denied the opportunity and I think this will be a good opportunity..." the blond trailed off as some thoughts connected in his head. He smiled. A second later, his smile turned into a chuckle. Three second later, he was slightly indifferent.

"It is such a rare thing to hear you laugh," the Sandaime Hokage said. "What amuses you Naruto?"

"How things are playing out," the blond said. "I never thought that your schemes would lead to such a path. I had considered things, but I never thought you would be smiling at the end of the day as I imagine you will be during the exams. When you do put your mind to work, you truly show why they call you the professor."

Naruto had thought that things would favour him immensely. He was playing the Sandaime's game but on his terms, but at the end of the day, the old man would be getting what he was planning to get and then some. They had one thing in common and that was what made the plot work. The old man didn't even have to lift a finger. He just pushed the pieces and he played the role perfectly.

It was a little sad. He'd thought he would be getting over the old man, but it was apparent that he was still too young to out-fox the professor. Things were not out of control nevertheless. Nothing had changed.

"Don't give me so much praise, Naruto-kun," the Sandaime said with an innocent smile. "I didn't do anything; you're the one who has been doing things…"

Well, he was right about that.

"In any case, it seems you understand things," the old man continued. "You were going to say it will be a good opportunity for Hinata to showcase her abilities. Most people have dismissed her, the Hyuga clan especially. I know Hiashi will be rooting for Neji-kun, but imagine what will happen if the daughter he discarded and stripped as heiress of his clan performing well against the clan's prodigy. Whether Hinata wins or not, it doesn't matter, as long as she puts a good fight."

Nobody would be expecting her to win the match or even put a decent effort to down the experienced genin in the form of the Neji. She was a failure of her clan, but he was hoping she would push Neji to his limits, and put a fight that would leave Hiashi speechless and red-faced.

"What makes you think that Hinata will get to the finals and what makes you think that they will even fight against each other?" Naruto asked calmly. "Are you going to rig the matches?"

"That would be unethical," the Sandaime Hokage said with a smile. "You're going to make sure she makes it to the final round, will you not? If she doesn't make it, all your efforts would've been for nothing."

This was nothing like being put on checkmate… and Danzo thought the Sandaime was naïve and stupid… idiot. The old man was a cunning fox. He comforted with the left hand and searched with the right hand - A slippery snake just like his former student Orochimaru. Sometimes Naruto detested that innocent smile in the old man's face.

"I guess you win this game," Naruto said after a few moments of silence. "You will get your winnings during the finals. I will make sure that Hinata reaches the centre stage…"

"I have no doubt you will do so," the old man said confidently. "Now that we are done with that, you will be having guests tomorrow. The Kazekage's children are going to come to the village to attend the Chunin exams. I have arranged for them to stay with you and your mother. Since your house doesn't have enough room, it would be suitable if you used the Senju compound for the duration of the exams."

"And the Kazekage?"

"He will come for the finals," the Sandaime Hokage said calmly. "I don't know what time they will arrive, but other teams have already arrived and some will be arriving tomorrow. Make preparations in the Senju compound. If you need financial assistance, I will offer it."

"I will see what my mother is saying about it," Naruto said before turning away from the old man. As he was reaching the door, the old man spoke.

"I heard you visited Danzo…"

When Naruto glanced at the old man over his shoulder, he saw the pipe already inside his mouth, just a few seconds away from being lit. "That is accurate. I don't have an association with him. He is a threat to me and I had merely gone to confirm just how much of a threat he is and will be."

"I'd have appreciated it if you'd spoken to me about it," Sarutobi said in a flat tone.

"I did so by walking into Hokage to speak to him. You have eyes in here…" the blond stated before leaving the office.

 **The Following Day**

"Is it true?" Sasuke asked Naruto – the team was waiting for Kakashi to appear in the usual place. "About the Chunin exams…"

Naruto nodded. This just meant that they would not be doing any missions for now. Things would heat up after the Chunin exams. If Sasuke manages to pass the exams, he would become a Chunin and Naruto may have to stop pretending to be a Genin. He had grown used to this setting; he would be okay if nothing changes.

Having to lay the groundwork over and over again would be hard work that would surely frustrate him and for once he may do some act of insubordination. This team was fine. He had worked around Hinata to gain her trust and there were no problems with Sasuke. Although the Uchiha hasn't said anything since Itachi spoke to him, Naruto was sure Sasuke was very much aware that the reason he still has a mother is because of him.

That meant the Uchiha owed him.

"A-are we going to participate?" Hinata managed to find her voice and ask after Naruto had nodded to Sasuke's question.

"Yes," Naruto said. "Of course Kakashi would have to nominate us first, but there is no reason we shouldn't…" the blond paused for a moment. For the Sandaime's schemes to work out, they had to take part in the exams. Sasuke and Hinata were ready for the exams so the old man wouldn't be pushing them into a difficult task just for his plans to come into fruition.

"This will be a good chance for you to show your worth," Naruto said, specifically to Hinata. "After everything, you should make the Hyugas reconsider their thoughts about seeing you as a failure. So far, we have kept your improvement hidden, but that is alright. You can make a show in front of people."

"I hope I get to fight you in the exams," Sasuke said with a smirk. "I will not be holding back anything and I will give it all all…"

Naruto wanted to remind the Uchiha that he has been giving it his all in their sparring sessions. Well unless he was hiding something from him – that could work out. Naruto didn't put it past the Uchiha to actually have something hidden under his sleeves.

"Morning," Kakashi greeted after appearing before his team in a swirl of smoke. "I'm sure by now you have already noticed that there a lot more people in the village… from outside. The reason is that we are going to host the Chunin exams." He took three forms and handed them to each of his genins. "The decision is up to you. If you want to participate in the exams, be at the academy at 10am tomorrow."

The Jonin disappeared after speaking.

"We have already made the decision," Sasuke said turning to face Hinata. His expressionless look made the Hyuga shift uncomfortably. "You're not going to screw anything by having second thoughts are you? Well, even if you do, I will still go."

Naruto shook his head and pocketed the form inside his cloak. "Hinata…"

"Hai…"

"Go home, relax, and calm your mind. Tomorrow, be at the academy," Naruto said before walking away, Sasuke right on his tail. Naruto felt that the Uchiha was boring holes at the back of his head as they walked. He didn't say anything about it for a few minutes until they reached the village streets. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"About my brother," Sasuke spoke under his breath. His voice was barely audible, but Naruto heard him. "I wanted to tha-" The Uchiha was cut off when someone called Naruto's name.

"Naruto!"

Sasuke turned around and saw three people walking towards them. He recognized the blonde in the middle as Naruto's fiancée. Did that mean that those two were her brothers? His mother had told him that the Kazekage had three children and Naruto was contracted to marry the elder one. Temari was her name if he was not mistaken.

As the three neared them, Sasuke glanced at Naruto – who'd also turned to face the sand siblings. The raven saw a small smile in Naruto's lips. It wasn't just a flat smile, but a smile that resembled something he saw when the blond was around his mother. Sasuke was a bit surprised, even though his expression remained blank.

"Temari," Naruto said with a small warm smile. He then turned to Gaara and held out his right hand. "Gaara: you have really grown."

There was a small twitch in Gaara's face as when Naruto said those words. "We are of the same age, you know and there isn't much difference our height."

"I'm guessing he means your expression, Gaara," Temari said calmly.

When the elder sibling spoke, Naruto turned to her for a moment before facing the other sibling. "Kankuro," there was an obvious difference in his tone and the lack of smile. Kankuro merely grunted in response. "You must be tired from your journey. Follow me…"

"This is must be Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara said in a quiet tone, his expressionless mask facing the young Uchiha.

Naruto nodded, "Yes," he said before folding his hands across his chest.

Sasuke followed the four, walking beside Naruto. He wanted to say something important to Naruto, but it appeared that it would have to wait since there were people around them and he wasn't stupid to enough to say that the blond wasn't aware of it. He decided to just follow because he really had nothing better to do.

"This feels a little different," Temari said as she narrowed her gaze around the streets. It was a little different because the village she came from saw her as something else. Well she was the Kazekage's daughter and people didn't outwardly send her heated glare out of nowhere. Boys would not approach her because of her parentage.

It was not many people sending her a glare, but a few – she could count them in her hands. She could not understand why they were glaring at her. The reason really did avoid her mind. Why? Was it because they hated Naruto?

Despite the many years that have passed in the Sand, some people were still wary around Gaara even though he has turned a new leaf in his life since the Kushina reworked his seal. Their father had even started acknowledging him as his son. She could go on to say that they were a happy family once again.

Still, she could say some resentment towards Gaara was justified. It hadn't been simply because he was a Jinchuriki, but because of what had happened in the past. Gaara hadn't been a bad person, but what happened when he tried to be nice wasn't that loving at all. All his kindness was always slapped into his face. What about Naruto, then? He was just Naruto. Yes a Jinchuriki, but what had he done?

"I see no difference," Gaara said glancing at Naruto for a moment. "He doesn't appear to mind though. At least it isn't many of them. Some of them are actually sending us a warm welcome."

Temari, "It doesn't really bother, you, does it?"

"Why should it?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the response. It was a typical response from the blond. Sasuke was certain that Naruto didn't care about the villagers of this village. They could be massacred for all he cared. Even if it was happening in front of him, he would probably just watch it all happen.

"There has been much more than this I have had to take on," Naruto said. "Most are content with this because it has brought an ally in Suna, while some resent that Uzumaki Naruto of all people is to be married to the daughter of the Kazekage… this is despite the fact that I am the previous Kage's son."

"At least most people are happy with this…" Temari offered the positive with a smile.

"It's temporary," Naruto stated. "Nothing with these people will last forever. If anything bad happens, like if Suna betrays Konoha, I will be blamed for it. They will likely say that I housed them, gave them everything they needed to know about Konoha."

"But Suna would never betray Konoha…" Gaara said firmly.

"I know," Naruto said. "I wouldn't forgive you people if you did something like that. But I was merely making a point. When Itachi did what he did, no one in their wildest dreams ever thought he would do it, but he did and because I was associated with him, some said it is the demon that drove him bad."

Sasuke hadn't really known that Naruto had also suffered from Itachi's actions. Yes, people had also blamed him for the actions, and yet he didn't resent Itachi one bit and he hadn't gone on to say that Itachi did what he did because he was ordered to do it by Danzo. He had kept the secret and held on to his brother's wishes.

Was that something he should thank or praise the blond of? Naruto was mentaly strong and always stays strong to what he believes in. He never seems to waver? Where wss that power coming from? Sasuke could not come up with the answer.

Naruto suddenly stopped and then turned to face Sasuke. He addressed the Uchiha. "Lead Kankuro and Gaara to the Senju compound… I will follow shortly."

Sasuke merely grunted in response. He was all but certain that Naruto was going to the flower shop to talk to his mother. He didn't delude himself into thinking that the blond was taking Temari out to do something. He would be shocked if something like that happened willingly.

But it was something that he was taking just her only.

"Come on Temari," Naruto said to the blonde, turning into a corner.

The blonde looked at her brothers for a moment before following Naruto. "Where are we going?" She asked as she caught up to her fellow blond.

"To my mother," Naruto said. He glanced at the girl at the corner of his eyes as he spoke. "I thought your father would be accompanying you to the village. You're not just any children, but a lot more like the royal children of the Sand."

Temari frowned at the thought of her father. "We came with our sensei – he went to speak to the Hokage after we entered the village… but I am sure he will be here for the finals. The man didn't even see us out of the village."

Naruto raised an eye brow at the bitterness in her tone. "…Something wrong with your father? The man I know would not act like that…"

"Over the past weeks he has changed. He is like a different person. He no longer interacts with us. He feels cold, I wouldn't be surprised if someone said he was possessed…" Temari said after a few moments of silence. What would it do, if she hid that from Naruto? "Perhaps maybe I've just been thinking too deeply about it."

"I know my mother best. If she was possessed, I'd notice it. I cannot say that you are wrong because I don't know the circumstances. I wouldn't put anything past this world though. Anything is possible. In any case, since you're someone my mother has allowed into our family, after the games I shall go to Suna with you just to confirm…"

Temari smiled, "You don't need to go that far…" she said, still happy about the gesture.

Naruto shrugged. "While I just tolerate it, my mother has allowed you to call her 'mother' and I know for certain she wouldn't be happy if she found that your father is being 'bad.' Besides, I am your fiancé, it's only logical that I look after your mental health."

"Logic, huh?" Temari wondered out loud. It had nothing to do with emotions. It was something like principle. Did she wish emotions were evolved in that thought? Perhaps.

"Is there something wrong?"

Temari shook her head. "I'm just wondering if we will ever reach that point of love our parents want us to reach. We are okay now, but we will we ever cross that border?"

"I don't think about such things. I believe the heart sometimes misleads." Naruto said calmly. "But what is it that you want, Temari? Do you want to be called my fiancée; do you want to love me? Decide what it is that you want and take measures to get it. I have said i will be there, and i meant it."

Temari stared into the road ahead of her for a long minute as she went through her thoughts. "I don't really have a choice. If my forces me to marry you, i will have to follow it. But it might not be so bad. I love your mother and you're not a bad person. At least i know i can make things work."

"My advice is that don't settle but look after the best for what you want. Even if something is forced to you, don't bow to it, twist it to meet your needs."

 **The following day**

Sasuke released a long breath of relief when Hinata appeared before him and Naruto at the academy gates. The Uchiha smiled. "When my mother told me that Chunin exams could only be taken by a three-men team, I was afraid that you may not show up." He said to the Hyuga.

Hinata showed her surprise over the fact that Sasuke was actually smiling at her. The Uchiha has congratulated her on her growth, but was not the one to be showering smiles. It was just like with Naruto. The blond didn't give her smiles all the time, but when he did, it was sweet.

"I-I could-d not afford to d-disappoint Naruto-kun," Hinata said a bit firmly. Besides that she wanted to prove her worth to her family. She wanted to show them that she wasn't just the failure that they had cast out, but actually a kunoichi of skills.

"Reasons don't matter," Sasuke said with a shrug of his shoulders. "The important thing is that you are here and we can take the part in the exams."

The team walked through to the academy. They handed in their registration forms before being told which class to head to. Apparently, most of the genins had already made it to the class. They were not late, but hadn't been early either. As they were walking, they came through Team Gai.

"N-Neji-niisan," Hinata greeted the Hyuga in the team, but she was soundlessly ignored. She didn't attempt to make conversation any further.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this; it wasn't something that he had anticipated. He knew that there was animosity between the main family and the branch, but hadn't thought it went this deep. The hatred in Neji's eyes was something else that was a little terrifying – especially when it was being directed to the innocent Hinata.

The Sandaime may have known about this and this was perhaps also in his plans. If he got to expose the animosity in the Hyuga clan, it would certainly force the clan to take some actions. The old man was indeed crafty. Naruto was slightly amused by this plan.

"You're Uchiha Sasuke," Lee said before anything could be said. "I heard that you were top graduate in your class. I like to test myself against the ones hailed as geniuses…" as he said that, Lee was already taking a stance.

"Not this again, Lee," Tenten said with a sigh. "Don't you get enough with Neji?" She asked before turning to face the Hyuga beside her. "Aren't you going to stop him?"

Neji shrugged nonchalantly. "He can fight if he wants to. I am not his babysitter," the Hyuga said. Besides, he was curious to see how the Uchiha would fare against Lee. He had been hearing a few things about him, so it would be good to see if the rumours were true or not.

"Fine, why no-"

Before Sasuke could finish speaking, Lee had already moved. The taijutsu user blurred out of sight in some incredible speed, flashing just above Sasuke, his left foot weaving through the air towards Sasuke's head. The Uchiha was too shocked to move, and the speed had been far more than he had anticipated.

The kick never reached him as Naruto caught it with his right hand, before letting it go. Lee dropped to the ground on both his feet and looked at Naruto with a surprised look on his face. He hadn't seen the blond move until he grabbed his foot.

"We're leaving Sasuke." Naruto said turning around. Hinata followed him while Sasuke stayed behind, teeth gritted.

"Why?"

"He is a taijutsu specialist – a student of the greatest taijutsu user in this village. With speed alone, I am not a match for him, and you'd need your Sharingan to fight. At this point it is needless, pointless even. If you want to fight, you will do it in the exams."

Sasuke followed, albeit grudgingly. "Are you serious though?" He was asking about Lee's speed.

Naruto held out his right hand. "His kick nearly slipped through my fingers. I had to strengthen them with chakra to hold him. From what I know about Gai, I assume he carries weights. It is merely a suspicion, but I would rather not risk it."

Sasuke smiled, "I never thought I would hear you say someone was better than you at something. Well, even the mighty Uzumaki isn't better at everything…"

"Don't sooth your pride by something like that Sasuke," Naruto said flatly.

Sasuke didn't let that ruin his mood. He had grown used to Naruto. "I may be soothing my pride over my own inadequacy against you, but it is nice knowing that you're not good at everything and that there are genins who better you at certain areas. Up until now, I'd thought you were better than all genins, but you're not."

"Just because Lee is faster doesn't mean he can actually beat me," Naruto responded calmly.

"That may also be the truth, but it doesn't change the fact that is he faster than you…" Sasuke said with a pointed stare.

Hinata found this amusing. It was rare. Sasuke usually stopped talking or changed the subject when Naruto went on with something someone would find offensive. But he had never so shrugged off Naruto's bluntness easily and still look to get the last word. He had admitted it to himself, so there was no way he could defend against that.

A small giggle escaped her lips, causing her teammates to turn around to face her. Sasuke had the look of 'what the fuck' while Naruto had his indifferent mask decorated by a slight left raised brow. She quickly put her hands on her mouth when she realized that they had heard her laugh. It was probably the first time she was laughing in front of them.

"S-sorry," Hinata said quickly when both her teammates merely looked at her expectedly. "Y-your bickering just a-amused m-me…"

"Well isn't that sweet," Kakashi suddenly spoke behind the team. The Jonin had his iconic eye smile as he spoke. "Looks like someone is growing up," he said of Hinata. He too had never heard her laugh, but for her to have the confidence to laugh in front of her teammates was something. This could only mean that the bond between them could only grow.

"Wait here for a moment," the Jonin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

A minute later, he returned with a camera, "Let us take a memory for this day. We will not just remember this as the day you took the Chunin exam, but the day we all heard Hinata laugh for the first time."

"Is that really necessary?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi ignored Naruto and had Sasuke and Hinata gather around before handing the camera to someone he didn't even know. He dragged Naruto, and stood him on the right side: Hinata was standing between Sasuke and Naruto. Kakashi stood behind the genins, his left hand holding his precious book and his right holding a peace sign.

"Smile for the camera!"

The Light flashed.

Kakashi thanked the person who took their photo and took the camera. He faced his team once more and spoke. "I have nothing more to say than good luck and make me proud… and your parents proud…" the Jonin disappeared in a swirl of leaves after saying those words.

Naruto just shook his head and walked away with his teammates following him from behind. They made it to the class the others were supposed to be. The moment Naruto opened the door; he was assaulted by different waves of killing intent. It would shake someone else, but Naruto found it a bit amusing.

…Little humans trying to intimidate him with such weak intents? If he released dozes of the Kyubi's intent, they would run off from this class and some may even lose everything in their guts; some would be on the floor, unable to withstand the pressure. A killing intent was supposed to accomplish something like that, not this.

"…Something amusing?" A very Nara Shikamaru asked Naruto, settling about a couple of feet away from the blond.

Naruto turned to face the Nara before responding. "Yes, the weak attempt to intimidate me," he said. He caught the eyes of other teams. He raised an eye brow seeing Ino. "Ino? I must say, I am very much surprised to see you here."

"What? Why?" Ino demanded from the blond.

"You have not changed from the days you were in the academy," Naruto responded calmly. "I sense and see no change at all."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Training, I presume," Shikamaru muttered quietly. Like him, Ino hardly trained and he could say that was something Naruto found to be disappointing. "Kiba's team is also here…" the Nara paused, seeing team Gai. "That makes fresh 12 Konoha genins participating in the exams…"

"Or Konoha 12," Kiba offered before turning his attention to Hinata. He smiled at the Hyuga. "Hinata, have these bastards been treating you well? Because I swear if they have been mistreating you…" Akamaru finished for his partner with a bark.

"What would you do?" Sasuke asked challengingly.

"I'd beat both of you up!" Kiba more a less roared in a loud tone - Perhaps to put a more convincing act for him to be a little believable. To Sasuke, it was a bad joke that wasn't even amusing. He merely shook his head in response.

They were soon approached by a male Nin, looking old. He spoke about having years of experience as a genin and taking part in the exams and offered them information on any candidate as he had collected information during his days as a genin.

"Give me information on Uzumaki Naruto," Shikamaru asked merely out of curiosity.

Kabuto took out a card, "Uzumaki Naruto…" he looked at the card and then faced the blond. "Taijutsu skills: High Chunin, Kenjutsu: Low Jonin-level, Ninjutsu… I don't know much except for the use of the Rasengan – the Yondaime Hokage's famous jutsu. Missions: 5 A-ranked mis-" Kabuto trailed off when his card was cut in half.

"Naruto, how come you have done 5 A-ranked missions? We have only done 3 A-ranked missions as a team?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto's missions beside, Team 7 had done three A-ranked missions? Everyone had a look of surprise and shock on their expressions.

"I did the two missions on my own before I joined you two," Naruto responded with a shrug of his shoulders. But his eyes were firmly on Kabuto, looking at the Nin with a calculative look masked with curiosity.

Kabuto knew when someone was looking at him with calculative eyes. By that he figured if Naruto's teammates didn't know about the missions and the look Naruto was giving him, they weren't supposed to be known. Yet, why was the blond looking at him was if he was plotting something?

"Yakushi Kabuto, was it?" He didn't wait for the Nin to respond as he turned away. "Sasuke, you only have to watch out for him," he said pointing at Kabuto, "Lee and Subaku no Gaara."

The first part of the exam came and passed. A great deal of genin teams were eliminated from the first part of the exam and the remaining were sent towards the forest of death for the second exam. They were with the delightfully sadistic Anko as their proctor.

Naruto could agree with the woman that there were a lot of teams going into the second round and he really didn't want many of them entering the second round. He would be forced to take matters into his own hands. He had studied the way the exams were held in this village and knew what would happen if things went in a way he would not like.

The forest of death would do its job to eliminate some teams though and Naruto was happy with that.

As they stepped into the forest of death, Hinata felt a chill run down her spine. She could tell that this was a very dangerous place for her to be, but she could not run back because she was afraid. She had her teammates with her, and she knew that they would not leave her alone. They would be with her all the way. If Naruto was with her, nothing could go wrong.

They walked for a few minutes before resting out under a tree. "We can't just stand here," Sasuke spoke through gritted teeth. "We need to move out and get another scroll or else we will fail."

Naruto didn't share Sasuke's thoughts. "Not possible," the blond said. "We will make it, but we must not make hasty movements. Let us relax for now. We will reach the destination tomorrow. For now we can look around and wait to see what will happen."

"What if other teams get there before we could?"

"Not going to happen," Naruto said with impatience. "Don't make me repeat myself, Sasuke. We will wait and move later on. This is a survival test and it doesn't matter who gets there first, but what matters is getting there on time and with the needed scrolls."

Sasuke accepted what Naruto was saying although it took an hour before he could calm down. all that time Naruto was doing some light training with Hinata. He really could not understand the blond sometimes. They were in the middle of an exam, and the he seemed to be worried about training Hinata rather than handling the important matters?

Well at least this was Naruto he was dealing with. He knew the blond would not allow them to fail. While he wasn't all that up in the blond's mind, he knew Naruto was someone who did a few scheming's of his own. His mother had even admitted it.

It was late at night Naruto summoned his sword and placed it behind him on a sheath, Anbu gear on, his cloak removed, just for the night. "Where are you going?"

"I am going on a hunt," Naruto responded calmly. "Since you only like using your mind when it is convenient to you, I will tell you something. I just didn't have us sit here so that I could actually train Hinata. I was merely tiring her out while my clones searched for locations of the teams."

Sasuke smirked. Even though the blond had insulted him, he focused on the good point. He really did like the way Naruto thought sometimes. With Hinata out for the night, the blond could hunt for the scrolls at night while others were sleeping. What sort of creature did its hunts at night? An owl?

Naruto was not really an owl, right?

"I am coming with," Sasuke said firmly, leaving Naruto with no choice.

The blond didn't deny the Uchiha the chance to do so. He nodded and created two clones to stay with Hinata in case something happens. "We are going to remove the weak links and take their scrolls. Use your kunais, no Ninjutsu. We have to be silent, and effective. There is lot of ground that we must cover."

"That is fine by me," Sasuke said, grinning in all corners. He had been itching for a good battle and this was his chance to do something. With Naruto it was always fun.

Why had he even the questioned the blond before? He really should never do it again. Naruto had never disappointed him before. He would never lead him to failure. Once again, he was forced to admit that Itachi had been right; following Naruto was the best thing for him. From now on, Sasuke would not question Naruto.

As the two walked away from the tent housing Hinata, Sasuke cleared his throat to speak to Naruto. "I never got the chance to speak to you yesterday because the Sand siblings arrived…"

Naruto glanced at the Uchiha at the corner of his eyes. He didn't say anything as he looked at the dark and narrow way ahead of him. At moments like this he had to use chakra to enhance his vision. He cursed those fortunate to have doujutsus.

"You want to talk about Itachi…"

"I don't really want to talk to him, but I just want to thank you," the Uchiha said in a quiet tone. The words seemed to have gone through a mountain just to climb out of his throat. When he spoke again, he was a lot calmer. "Itachi showed me everything and I understand that it was your role that saw my mother saved and some of my clansmen still breathing today."

"Value that contribution, love your mother, and follow my lead, we will get along just fine," Naruto stated in a calm tone. "Now, let us get to work…"

 **The following Morning**

Hinata rubbed her eyes after she awoke from her sleep. She had the feeling that she had missed something during the night, but she didn't think too much about it. Waking up inside a tent wasn't a first experience for her. She had been doing missions before and they had been forced to sleep out in the clearing.

She was feeling a bit hungry though. She hadn't eaten anything last night and she was looking for a bath to clean herself. A girl needed to keep her body in check.

Sasuke and Naruto were already up, both were sitting on a log staring into a map. When she walked out of the tent, Naruto turned to face her before he spoke. "Pack everything – we have to move out."

Hinata opened her mouth to say something, but she quickly shut it. She hadn't been about to question Naruto had she? When Naruto stared at her with an expressionless face, the Hyuga felt as if she could just run back to her tent and hide. She would have done so had the blond no spoken to her.

"Say what you want to say."

It was clear to Hinata that the blond was demanding that she speak her mind and he would not accept anything less than her mind. He wanted to hear the words she wanted to say. Hinata had been in this position before and she knew the best way to handle it was to speak her thoughts. It wasn't like the blond would get angry or laugh at her anyway.

"I-I'm a little hungry…" Hinata all but mumbled.

"We will eat when we get to a good place. This isn't a good place. We are moving towards a stream of water that will also help us freshen up and we can catch some fish to eat. We aren't carrying food in our storage seals… so we will have to search…" Naruto responded calmly.

Hinata tilted her head to the side. She should have expected Naruto to say something like that. The blond has always carried himself like a royal prince. You wouldn't find him all messed up, but he always had a certain style with what he wore and how he walked as well as with the people he associated with.

Shaking her thoughts, Hinata nodded and turned away from the two and packed up everything before handing Naruto the small bag that contained everything. The blond sealed the bag away and the team left the place, heading towards a stream of water.

It wasn't long before they were able to find the stream and then settled down. Hinata had excused herself from the boys in order to bath safely away from their eyes. By the time she returned, her teammates were sitting by a small fire, already eating the fish they had caught.

Hinata joined them in silence.

"Eat up quickly so we can leave. We have the scroll we need. So hanging around here isn't an option," Sasuke said to Hinata in a strong tone.

The Hyuga turned to Naruto as if to ask for permission to follow Sasuke's demands, but the blond seemed to be in another world, as he savoured his food. He was eating in a slow pace, not hurried. Hinata nodded to Sasuke before something hit her.

They already had the scroll they needed? But they hadn't fought any team since yesterday… Hinata shook her head. It was possible that they had moved at night. She wouldn't put it past Naruto to have planned something like that while she was sleeping. It didn't even surprise her that they already had the scroll they needed. What would her surprise would be if they only had one scroll.

Eating was done and dusted and the team headed deep into the forest once more.

They were brought to a halt when powerful gusts of winds suddenly crashed into them, sending the three backwards. A massive wave of killing intent washed over the area freezing the genins in their place. It was much more potent than what Sasuke had experienced with Zabuza. Whoever had done this was seriously deadly, much more than the dead missing-nin.

Hinata was not fairing any better than Sasuke: the Hyuga was on her knees, breathing harshly as if she had been forced into a couple of laps around the Hidden Leaf.

Naruto rarely faced things that made him nervous, but this was truly dangerous. While he did not show his nervousness, deep inside he was certain that this was something he should fear. Even so, the blond held his mask, his eyes slightly crimson, resembling those of the Bijuu sealed within him.

Cowering in fear would not help him with anything. In fact, it would only result in pain and suffering. He had to think about how he was going to go about things here. Whoever this person was, he was not a genin and Naruto was sure of it. Even Anbu would be nervous around such a deathly aura.

The blond wasn't given the time to have many thoughts as a large snake lunged towards him, forcing him to jump back to avoid it. The snake cut through the ground, hissing with its fangs bared at him. Its movements were fast, not giving Naruto much time to think.

The large snake opened its large mouth as it readied to swallow him whole. Naruto unsheathed his sword and took a stance before channelling wind chakra into it. "Wind Cutter!" The blond swung his sword vertically, released a wave of wind, shaped like a blade. The jutsu travelled towards the snake and when it collided with it, the snake disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Another snake hissed from behind the blond, lunging towards him. Naruto flicked his sword into his left hand as a jumped up into the air while he spun around. As he twisted around, Naruto was forming a Kyubi chakra infused Rasengan. He slammed the Rasengan into the head of the snake and once again, the animal disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The blond landed on the ground gracefully with a few question marks. The disappearing in a puff of smoke meant that these were not snakes from the forest but rather, summons. He hadn't been ignorant of his enemies and the powerful shinobi that live in this world. The only person who could summon snakes was Orochimaru.

Naruto lost his indifferent mask, putting on a look of contempt with his eyes slightly shadowed, and his lips were slightly curled upside down into a frown. This was not battle that could be won by normal means. He could either use the Sharingan or that jutsu. He had promised to only use it for his mother, but lives were at stake here. He could not make do without something that would greatly surprise the snake enough for him to make a move while he was off-guard.

The blond looked up to Sasuke: the young Uchiha was standing atop of a tree branch, shaking with Orochimaru just a distance away. He disappeared in a blur and appeared beside the Uchiha.

He faced their attacker fully, and was not disappointed to see behind the shedding skin was the person he had suspected. "Orochimaru," Naruto stated summoning his three-pronged kunai. "What are you doing attacking children?" Naruto asked in a cold tone, his eyes flashing crimson as he spoke.

Orochimaru could not mistake the power of the Kyubi even if it was just a small doze of it. That meant that he was facing the Kyubi's Jinchuriki and Minato's son. He didn't have much interest in the blond, he was looking for Sasuke.

Still, that look the blond was giving him was not the look of a child. Orochimaru laughed menacingly. "Well, it seems that there is something interesting that I have overlooked…"

Naruto flung the kunai on his head towards Orochimaru in blinding speed. The Snake Sannin merely bent his neck in ways it shouldn't, but that was enough for the kunai to zip past his head. The kunai had been aimed straight at his forehead.

Naruto suddenly disappeared in into thin air and appeared behind Orochimaru.

"Huh?" Orochimaru blinked seeing his vision change. He had been staring at the blond, but then he suddenly disappeared and the next thing was that the world started move sideways. No, his head was the one moving. Naruto had separated it from his shoulders.

"Rasengan!" The blond did not waste time before slamming the crimson jutsu into the back of the Sannin. The Kyubi powered jutsu grind through Orochimaru's back, making a hole, before the body was sent crashing into the ground. When the snake hit the ground, there was a loud explosion as the jutsu set off.

Naruto flung his kunai straight towards were Orochimaru's head had fallen. He flashed there and stood over the snake's head. "You're not yet dead. This surpasses the limits of humans…" the blond said holding out his right hand, the Kyubi infused Rasengan being formed once again. "This should be enough to obliterate your head…"

The blond didn't get the chance to slam the jutsu into the head because multiple small snakes rushed towards him, coming from where Orochimaru's body had crashed. Naruto responded by throwing his kunai towards Sasuke. He flashed beside the Uchiha and grabbed him by the shoulder before throwing the kunai towards Hinata. He disappeared into thin air, and appeared beside Hinata. He flung the girl over his right left shoulder.

'Kyubi,' he said.

'I know…' the Bijuu said before forcing its chakra out of the seal. The crimson chakra covered Naruto's legs up to his waist. Without much said and not even a glance at Orochimaru, the blond vanished along with his teammates.

The destination was the tower.

From the small crater, clothes in tatters, Orochimaru stood up slowly with a frown on his lips. He glared at the hole on his chest. He wasn't healing as quickly as he should. There were traces of the Kyubi's chakra inside his wound and it was destroying his flesh slowly. That damn brat had specifically used the jutsu because he knew a Bijuus chakra was like poison into a body of a human.

If he allowed the chakra to enter his system, it would be all over for him.

He had even failed to brand Sasuke, but that wasn't much of a problem now. He had found something interesting - Naruto to be precise. The blond was something special that he needed to look into if he was going to discover what made him tick.

 **Two Hours Later**

Anko had a baffled look on her face as she stared at the blond standing her: the blond was staring right back at the Sandaime Hokage inside the old man's office. His staring contest with the Hokage wasn't what had baffled her, but what he had said.

"Let me get this straight," Anko said in a measured tone. "You beat Orochimaru and left him with a hole inside his chest and although you have a history with Anbu, that shouldn't be possible. Not even Kakashi can go toe and toe against the snake!"

"I never said I beat Orochimaru, I didn't just leave him with a hole on his chest, I had severed his head off his shoulders," Naruto stated calmly.

Was it that much of a big deal that he had done what he did against Orochimaru? Sure the snake was a Sannin and all powerful, but things could happen when you underestimate 'genins.' He also had the element of surprise in his favour. He had been more or less lucky in his encounter with Orochimaru. Naruto wasn't going to count it as victory.

"That is Orochimaru, Naruto," Kakashi stressed the name. "When I was younger, I couldn't even face him because he was just too powerful…"

Naruto shrugged indifferently.

The Sandaime Hokage cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "How did you do it, Naruto?" Hiruzen was less shocked than the two Jonins flanking both sides of Naruto. Considering what the blond had in his arsenal, he was less shocked. He knew first hand that Orochimaru was highly arrogant and wouldn't have even thought about taking kids seriously.

With that in mind, the Sannin being humiliated in that way by Naruto was not out of the question. Perhaps one would have been too frightened to fight, but Naruto wasn't a normal kid was he?

"Element of surprise," Naruto said calmly. "And you forget, I am still a Jinchuriki of the most powerful Bijuu. I may not have access to all its powers, but I do have access to some of its power…"

"Element of surprise, huh?" The Sandaime paused, running through some thoughts. "You used the Kyubi's chakra to counter Orochimaru's killing intent. Given how malevolent and potent the chakra is, even a small portion of it should have been enough to nullify the effects of his intent. With that you were free, but what did you do to catch him off guard? Even surprised, your normal speed shouldn't have been enough to get you that close… did you use it?"

Naruto nodded. "It only takes a second when using it… I realized that was the only option I had to get out of the way. I must admit, he is rather frightening. I had never been so nervous against a foe before, but facing him, I was nervous…" the blond paused for a moment. "He was after Sasuke, wasn't he?"

"Yes," the Sandaime Hokage said with a sigh. "Possibly the Sharingan… in any case, you should return to your teammates. We will talk after the second exam is done. At this stage, the exam is still active."

Naruto merely nodded and disappeared via Shunshin.

"You're continuing with the exams?" Kakashi asked. "Isn't it a bit dangerous with Orochimaru out there?"

"Well he did say that if the exam was stopped he would destroy the leaf…" Anko pointed out. She smiled, "It doesn't sound so threatening now that I know that it came from a man who had his head severed off his shoulders by a brat…" the snake mistress added with a grin.

"Orochimaru's arrogance will be his downfall," the Sandaime said with a shake of his head. "Does he really think that he can take on this village by himself? Arrogance… the exam will continue. Jiraiya should be back in a day or two. I have sent a message for him to return."

Kakashi nodded, "is there anything else?"

"Orochimaru might be planning in invasion," The Sandaime said. "I received a word of it from Jiraiya. Well that would explain why he was even here in the first place. I doubt he could have just come here to get to Sasuke-kun…" the old man paused for a moment. "Whatever you do, don't let it slip to Naruto; do you understand me, Kakashi?" The Third said in a steel tone.

Kakashi nodded. "It wouldn't be good if he found out something like that…" he wouldn't be surprised if the blond would be far away from the borders of the fire country within an hour of hearing the news of the planned attack on Konoha.

"Why the serious mood around just a brat?" Anko asked curiously, sensing the serious mood between the two.

The Sandaime Hokage smiled bitterly. "If he had an army, he would get his army marching towards Orochimaru's village. But since he doesn't have it, the Kyubi would likely see light again as he matches towards Sound with one purpose – destruction, and it wouldn't be because of his love for Konoha…"

Team 7

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a look that demanded answers. He didn't like it when things were being held back from him. Itachi had done it before and it had driven him towards a dangerous path. The blond couldn't just say that Orochimaru was after him without explaining why. He didn't even need to guess that the man had only been interested in him. He hadn't bothered attacking Hinata and had merely sent a snake towards Naruto.

Since Naruto was the strongest member in the team, the only logical choice would have been to attack the blond rather than him.

Naruto was sitting on the edge of the small single bed within the room, his feet shifting back and forth calmly. He wasn't all interested in Sasuke, but his rampaging thoughts. Orochimaru really did sicken him. That thing was the sort of creature that made him detest humans. Jiraiya hadn't been stingy with information about his former teammates.

A sick cruel creature that only sort about pain... Orochimaru was a conniving snake that would eat people like Hinata alive, and in Naruto's eyes, people like Hinata were the real humans, they were the ones who could breathe freely in this world. Snakes like Orochimaru only brought about pain, chaos and corrupted wherever they touched.

Naruto could not stand such a livi-

"Naruto," Sasuke cut in Naruto's thoughts in a hardened tone.

"What?" Naruto responded calmly. Sasuke merely stared, but Naruto tossed the stare over his shoulder and spoke once more. "If you have a question, ask, and I will give you the answer… well that will depend on whether I am in a position to give the answers you seek."

"What did Orochimaru want?"

"Some time ago, he attacked your brother. According to Itachi he wanted his body and the Sharingan. I don't know the full details, but since he failed with Itachi, he was coming after you. With you he didn't need to use force, but rather, try to manipulate you. If Orochimaru does know the truth about the Itachi's missions, he doesn't know you know. It is likely he will try to pit you against your brother," Naruto explained in length.

Sasuke appeared to think for a few moments before he spoke. "What if gets the jump on us next time and tries to use force?"

"We will run," Naruto stated in a calm tone. "But I will talk to Itachi about setting up a trap with one of the Sharingans I have. It will be nasty… but I wouldn't mind watching the snake tossing around as the black flames burn his body, slowly and painfully." The blond paused changing the subject. "We should rest. He won't reach us here, and other teams are still in the forest. We have to wait for the second stage to be completed before learning what will happen next.

Sasuke almost found it amusing that Naruto was talking about running from Orochimaru. Considering that the blond severed the snake's head off its shoulder, it would have been understandable if he spoke about trying again. Arrogance wasn't in the blond's DNA. He knew when to fight and when to save his life.

 **I had a hard time trying to make up my about how to go about things in that battle with Orochimaru. I wanted to play out without making Naruto look too strong. I don't know if I made it play fairly well – that is for you to judge.**

 **I sense Naruto might end up growing to dislike the Sandaime Hokage.**

 **Questions about the story, please pm me if you have any.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The Sandaime Hokage looked down at the teams that had made it through the second round. The record for being the first person to come here had been broken by the sand siblings, and even though Naruto's team was overpowered, it hadn't been the second team to make it here. Perhaps it was because the blond was making an effort to weed out competition.

The teams to have made it were still too many for him to take them all to the finals. It wouldn't be good if he bored people by allowing weak genins to make it to the finals. People would be expecting some good fights.

"Congratulations for passing the second exam," the Sandaime Hokage said to the gathered genins. "Normally, having passed the survival challenge, you should be heading towards the finals of the exams, but there are still too many of you. It is not by a big margin. We will have to cut some of you so that we can accommodate a small number in the finals."

As the Sandaime spoke, the Shikamaru looked around, seeing who had made it. All the suspects had passed the second exam. He had come across a team who'd been complaining about Konoha shinobi hitting them at night. It was not hard to figure out that it was Naruto's team. The blond had a way of doing things after all.

If he had the energy and actually trusted in his abilities to fight against stronger opponents, he would have taken that route as it was the easiest way of getting the scroll. Some teams would have been sleeping; tired from the exertions of the day, and that meant taking their scrolls would require minimum effort.

"Before I say how we will proceed, is there anyone who thinks they can't make the fighting that will occur in the next minutes? If you can't proceed, you can raise your hand…" The Sandaime stated.

Kabuto was quick to raise his hand, saying he didn't have enough chakra to go through and that his teammates were in no shape to fight. Kankuro also raised his hand to the surprise of his siblings.

Naruto looked at the 'genin' for a moment and then looked away. Was it really easy to lie like that? He may not be that much of a great sensor, but he was certain that Kabuto was not tired, even though he was making it look as if he was tired. The Sandaime Hokage wasn't someone who could be fooled that easily and yet he seemed to just accept Kabuto's reasoning without question.

He didn't forget that the man possessed information that should not be known. It was a strange thing that he didn't really feel there was a need to care if the man was a spy or not. Being a former Anbu, he knew how spies worked. It wasn't out of the question for a spy to infiltrate the exams to have better access to certain facilities and being able to move without being flagged.

"Are we going to fight?" Sasuke asked Naruto in a quiet tone.

He was happy to fight anyway. He wouldn't lose here. Not when he was just a step away from making it to the finals and he was certain that in the finals, if things went according to plan, he would get the chance to really fight Naruto. He would also get the chance to fight other strong genins. That was something he was really looking forward to.

So far there hadn't been anyone who provided anything that would make him feel pressured. Sure the raids he did with Naruto were fun, but there had been nothing that made him feel pressed against the wall. He needed to experience that in order to see how strong he has become. Measuring himself against Naruto wasn't really fair; even though he was loath to admit that.

"Likely," Naruto responded in one simple word. He didn't say anything further as the Sandaime spoke once more.

"We are going to proceed in this way," the old man started. "The teams with the most scrolls will be exempted from this round and will head straight to the drawing board for the finals. And the remaining teams will have to fight to secure a spot to the finals."

"Not fair!"

"We all passed the second exam; we must all be treated fairly. Why do we even get to fight while the others get a safe passage?"

The Sandaime Hokage merely smiled as he responded – his tone contained some steel in it. "Not fair?" The old man asked. "Teams who have the most scrolls fought the most teams and actually won those matches, no? Doesn't that mean that they are strong and ready for the finals? Teams with just two scrolls in the meantime were only able to defeat one team; this means that they had less competition. If we are talking about being fair, saying the teams who have just two scrolls have made the same effort as a team with 6 scrolls would be unfair."

Hayate took over from the Sandaime Hokage. "You were all given the same opportunities and the same playing field. Having just one scroll means you have barely just made it – even though that was the requirement for passing the second test. There are those who pass with flying colours and those who do just enough. We cannot simply put those two groups in the same room. Because your results show that you're not equal."

There were a few murmurs with the genins, but neither Hayate nor the Sandaime entertained them. The former merely continued with his job. "Team Baki: you came in first and had the second most scrolls, you're exempted from this round and Team 7: You came in third but had the most scrolls than any other team. We watched you executions, and you have been exempted from the preliminaries…" he paused for a moment and pointed at the balcony. "If you could just go and wait over there…"

Ino looked at Naruto with a careful eye. It wasn't that she was having any evil and naughty thoughts. No, she was just feeling slightly jealous that he gets a get out of jail free card while she has to fight. If she had been on his team, she would have been avoiding any fighting now, but because she was stuck with Chouji and Shikamaru, she had to grind through to get to the next point, it was really disappointing.

"You will not be fighting as teams but one by one matches. Know that right now, you don't represent your team, but actually your village and yourself. Those who will win their matches will go the finals. We will draw the matches for the preliminaries right now…" Hayate said.

The first match was drawn: Ino vs Sakura.

Second match Lee vs Kiba

There were other matches paired up. Hayate dismissed the other genins, and had them wait over at the balcony while Ino and Sakura stayed behind. He said he would call the other teams after each match is over.

Naruto watched as Sakura and Ino battled. It didn't last long, but he had never been so disappointed in his life. "Hinata," the blond said to his teammate, "If you fight like that, don't appear before me ever again. That was pathetic. If I was their sensei, I'd be ashamed to call myself even sensei. Why would anyone nominate such academy students to the chunin exams? The decision to put those children in this rings seems irrational and ill-advised."

All eyes turned to Kurenai and Asuma. "The next match is about to start," Asuma said rather quickly in a bid to have the attention turn away from him and back to the fighting.

Did Naruto had to put to so flatly though? If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that the blond was merely saying it to humiliate him and Kurenai.

"Naruto," Kakashi said to the blond. "Can I talk to you?"

The blond first looked at Lee curiously before nodding. There was really nothing for him to see down there. His team wasn't going to participate, so he could get away without watching anything. Besides, he did not wish to expose his eyes to another ridiculous crap called a kunoichi battle.

"Sure," the blond said.

Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and the two disappeared in a swirl of leaves. They appeared in a room with the Sandaime Hokage present. "Kage Bunshin?" the blond asked, his eyes sizing up the old man before him.

The old man nodded, "Kabuto," the Third said. "You have made contact with him while still at the academy… he revealed some information that should only be known to Anbu. Did he appear before you?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, he did not," the blond said. "I doubt he would have risked something like that."

The Sandaime looked at Naruto curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

"He knows that I know that he has access to secret information despite making himself appear as a failure for a genin," Naruto responded calmly.

The Sandaime was silent for a few moments. "I thought he would have appeared once again since we suspect that he is working with Orochimaru. In any case, this doesn't lift off any suspicions we have on him…"

"Why don't you just go after him and interrogate him?"

"He escaped when we were trying to do that," Kakashi responded. "The moment he left, Anbu were already on his tail, but he managed to lose them. They are still searching, but it's unlikely that they will find him if he was able to slip through them."

"Kakashi-kun," the Third said to the Jonin. "You can go; I want to speak to Naruto about something…"

 **A few minutes later**

By the time Naruto returned to the balcony, the matches were already over and those who had made it were being addressed by the Sandaime Hokage.

"The finals will be held in a month from tomorrow. You will have this time to prepare for your matches and learn what you can about your opponent…" the old man turned to Hayate. "If you will…" the man said.

"We are going to draw the first matches for the finals," the man said.

First match was drawn with Hyuga Hinata vs Hyuga Neji

Second match: Lee vs Uzumaki Naruto

Fourth match: Subaku no Temari vs Nara Shikamaru

Fifth match: Subaku no Gaara vs Uchiha Sasuke

 **Later that Day**

 **Uchiha Compound**

Mikoto shook her head as she watched her son walk away from her. He was looking a lot happier about making it to the finals of the Chunin exams. Perhaps the thought of showing everyone what he could do was appealing to him. Well, she was also happy for her son. What kind of mother wouldn't be happy?

The Uchiha's glance turned towards Naruto – who was sitting beside her at the back of her house. She looked at the small garden, listening to the sound of water rushing through the streams that divided the garden. She felt content.

Naruto didn't share Sasuke's excitement about making it to the Chunin exams. Well, the blond was already an Anbu. This was something small for him and besides, her hero wasn't just a small boy – he was a man trapped in a boy's body. Mikoto giggled at the thought. Perhaps she was starting to lose it.

What would Kushina say if she knew how she thought of her son?

"You look… happy…" Naruto said to the woman on his left hand.

"Maybe I am," Mikoto said calmly, a wide smile on her lips. "I am happy for Sasuke. Seeing him so excited like this, makes me remember the old days. He was a sweet innocent child, and cute…" the woman said smiling.

Naruto didn't immediately respond – he first went through some thoughts before saying something to the woman. "I tend not to think much about yesterday and the last. I really don't care much for the past. Memories we have will always be with us, whether good or bad. Good memories should not hold us back from living the present and the future.

"The little innocent Sasuke of the past is gone. Perhaps parts of him remain but this is the present, not the past. Instead of focusing on the past, how about we look forward to tomorrow? Our future and happiness does not lie in the past, but we can find it tomorrow and now."

Mikoto smiled, it was a bit of sly smile. "You don't know much I am looking forward to tomorrow, dear. If possible, I'd wish for the days to speed ahead…" the Uchiha said in a firm tone, carrying some anticipation in it.

Naruto was forced to turn to look at Mikoto. She had a strange look on her face. Perhaps there was something good that she was looking forward do. He was curious. "What awaits you?"

"You," Mikoto merely said. Naruto gave her a confused look, but she shook it off. "You'll see eventually," she said. "I didn't think you'd be the one to talk about happiness though. Kushina will be ecstatic when she learns of it."

"I can imagine that. I think everyone desires to be happy at some point. Priorities sometimes get in the way…" Naruto said, his eyes staring into the beautiful flowers that breathed a fresh breath.

"If you wish for it, you can have it. You have me, if you require me to show you happiness, I can. I understand that there are some things you cannot ask of your mother…" she paused smiling warmly. "You have given me a chance to live. I know my sons are okay. That makes me happy, but you know, even I sometimes wish to feel alive. I don't want to grow old being lonely."

"You have my mother…"

"There are things she can't give and she is just s friend…"

It took two minutes for Naruto to respond to the statement. He looked at Mikoto for a moment before looking away. "You mean relationship?"

Mikoto nodded. "Your mother says she can't love anyone else but I can. This is why I look forward for tomorrow so that I can claim he who will make me feel alive again."

Naruto raised an eye brow, thinking. "I hope 'he' will be a worthy person, not a despicable man."

Mikoto smiled, it was a beautiful smile. "He is sweet when he once to be and I know he will make me happy."

Naruto thought of it before shrugging off his shoulders. "I have never really given relationships that much of a thought despite my engagement to Temari. Mother does wish for me to be in a relationship when I grow old enough. I think that will be a difficult task for me but I do understand that you need someone who cares for you," the blond faced Mikoto as he added – with a small smile. "I do hope whoever you find will care for you. I can say as much as I do because if not, and turns out to be a sly snake, I will cut off his head."

Once more, Mikoto giggled. She really could see that happening. Naruto would seriously do that. "I love that you care for me… granted how closed you are, I think it is something special and it makes me very happy."

 **Two days later**

Kakashi didn't know how he was going to start this conversation with Naruto. He didn't want to come off as favouring Sasuke from Hinata. They had all made it to the finals of the Chunin exams, but he wanted to train Sasuke alone. With recent events and the fact that he was lot more suited to teaching the Uchiha Ninjutsu than Naruto, he thought it was best he focused entirely on Sasuke.

The Uchiha had a tough match against Subaku no Gaara in the first round and given how the genin performed, Kakashi wasn't going to take any chances. He needed to do everything possible to make sure that he decreased the gap between Naruto and Sasuke. If he manages to do so, the Uchiha would like be able to get the better of Gaara.

"Kakashi," Naruto said looking at the Jonin, "I actually wanted to speak to you about something," the blond said.

Kakashi blinked. "I also wanted to talk to you about Sasuke…" the stared for a moment, trying to read Naruto's expression but all he got was an indifferent mask that just stared back at him. "You wanted to talk about him?"

Naruto nodded. "It will be best if you take your time with him to teach him Ninjutsu. Lightning could be his greatest element, I do not know much about it. With this, I figured it would be best if you take your time to teach him whatever you think is best."

A little time away from Sasuke would do him good. It would be good to see how far the Uchiha progresses when he is being taught by someone else stronger. He did the best he could, but he could not teach Sasuke everything. Kakashi was an experienced Jonin and someone who had also taught him, so they could benefit something.

"I had something similar in mind," Kakashi said. "You wouldn't have a problem if I teach him a dangerous jutsu, would you?" Sasuke was by all means Naruto's student. The blond communicated with the Uchiha's mother and has been overseeing his training for some time now, it was only best he ask the blond's opinion.

"It doesn't matter what you teach him," Naruto said with an indifferent shrug. "At this point, I think he does need something strong in his arsenal. If he doesn't learn anything, he'll start thinking I am holding him back. Sometimes you need to nurse his pride a bit, but not too much or else he will become full of himself."

Kakashi nodded, inwardly he shook his head. Naruto had a thing about arrogance. It was like the blond saw it as a disease and was not above reminding Sasuke that he had his limits. Always remain humble, no matter how far you think you're progressing – that is something that Naruto apparently told Sasuke.

Despite all his skills and genius, Naruto was never the one to be smirking and hitting himself on the chest looking all puffed after accomplishing something – he always maintained the line.

Well, when it came to discipline, the blond was like a trained royal child. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he saw most people as low lives. He was above them, and his way of living should be better. Of course, he wasn't the one to lord over people.

"Hinata?" Kakashi asked. At least he had to know how the blond would deal with the Hyuga. Honestly, Kakashi was just a sensei in name to the girl, Naruto was her real sensei. Even so, he was the leader of team seven, he could not simply hope for the best without making sure that things would be okay. "How are you even going to deal with your own training?"

"I have sort of hit the barrier of my age," Naruto said calmly. "There isn't much I can learn now. I just have to perfect what I do know. Perhaps Fuinjutsu can do and I need to get better control of the power sealed within me."

Kakashi didn't show any reaction to that. Naruto didn't have a problem about talking about the Bijuu sealed within him. Someone else would be nervous about starting, but Naruto was not. Sasuke knew about the Bijuu and Hinata most likely knew about it. Being a Jinchuriki was something normal for Naruto and not a burden that he was forced to carry by the Yondaime Hokage.

The Sandaime Hokage didn't even seem to have a problem with him using the power of the Bijuu. The old man said it was fine as he was sure that Naruto wouldn't be corrupted by it, and as long as he wasn't drawing it unconsciously, there was no risk of the power taking over his body. Better control over it would be good for him when he does come to face other Jinchurikis.

"You don't really have a problem with using that power, huh?"

Naruto shook his head. "It is available. Only foolishness would lead me to avoid using it, even though it does cause my body harm. Well, that depends on how much I use anyway. A small portion does no harm since my body has grown used to it because it was been inside of my body since birth. I do understand my limits… I must admit that I have become rather dependent on it… every time I think of a troubling situation, the power comes to mind," the blond paused for a moment. "I must improve if I am to avoid becoming too dependent on it that without it, I will become helpless in battle."

Kakashi nodded. "That is something that you have taught Sasuke well… Hinata uses her Byakugan almost exclusively though…"

"The Hyuga taijutsu style is based around the Byakugan. Trying to teach her to fight without it, would require teaching her a new style. I will try to help her fight without it nonetheless. There will be enough time during this month," the blond paused. "I will need to leave the village to be able to get all the time needed to train…"

"You're going to leave the village without your mother?" Kakashi sounded shocked as he spoke.

"Don't be ridiculous," Naruto said with a blank look on his face. "Mother is coming along. I also need her help with some Fuinjutsu…"

"Will Hiashi allow his daughter to leave the village with you though?" Kakashi didn't see that happening. That man wouldn't allow for something like that to happen. With how the man viewed Naruto, it was likely that he was going to think the blond would influence his daughter in a bad way, even though he has discarded her.

"He doesn't have to agree to it," Naruto said indifferently. Seeing a raised brow from Kakashi, the blond explained. "Hinata is a shinobi of the hidden leaf, thus a subordinate of the Sandaime Hokage. If he says that she was taken away by her sensei for a month long training camp in preparation for the finals, he would not complain, especially if the Sandaime approved of it."

"Well that is what official records will say anyway," Kakashi said with a smile. "Do you really think these things on your own? That is just using a technicality to get what you want… have you spoken to the Sandaime about it?"

Naruto shook his head. "No," he said. "I will, but I have already told Hinata to prepare for the journey away from the village. We won't be going far anyway, but a distance enough to avoid unwanted eyes."

"Well, I'm sure the Sandaime Hokage has already figured you'd want to continue training Hinata and he will be making preparations of his own. His schemes need to work with you doing your part," the Jonin said carelessly. "What about the Sand Siblings?"

"They leave today for Suna and will return to the village in time for the exams…" Naruto responded calmly.

"Well most genins are returning home," Kakashi said, finding no surprise in that. Then again, Sunagakure was the only other village that had participants in the finals. The others were from Konohagakure. It wasn't that much of a surprise that the Hidden Leaf was dominating, the host nation tended to be the dominant force in the exams.

"How are you going to prepare your match against Lee, though?"

Kakashi was sure that Naruto would get the most challenge he has ever received in that genin. If the extremist in training hasn't been slacking off, then Lee would be a frightening opponent for Naruto. There were battles that even strategies would not help that much – especially in one that would be dominated by speed and physical strength.

Going against Lee would require Naruto drop his precious sword and focus on Taijutsu. Ninjutsu wouldn't do if you can't hit your opponent. It would be possibly for the first time that the blond would actually be fighting without his sword.

"I will figure something out," Naruto said calmly. "Physically, he is stronger than me and he is also faster than me. I am not slow by any means… I'm not too troubled by it either way. My focus this month will be on Hinata. She has to put on a good show…"

"Just make sure you don't neglect your own training," Kakashi said seriously. "Lee isn't someone you'd want to underestimate…"

Naruto stared at Kakashi blankly for a long minute before speaking – on the different matter. "Was the Orochimaru matter resolved?"

It would be a problem if the snake continues to trouble Sasuke. He needed the Uchiha for things to work out for him and if Orochimaru wanted to get in the way of that, Naruto would have no problems in plotting for the snake's death. He already detested the kind of human the snake was anyway, so if he became persistent with Sasuke, he would only get mad.

Naruto went deep into his head when he thought of getting mad. It has been quite some time since he actually lost it. He always remained calm, no matter what. Even when the villagers were cursing him in front of his mother, he had always remained calm. Perhaps it was because his mother was mad, and there was no need for him to be infuriated as well.

Two furious Uzumakis would only lead to a massacre.

"The Sandaime is dealing with it," Kakashi said a bit too quickly. He kept his mask when Naruto stared into his visible eye. He didn't want to let slip of anything about Orochimaru's plans. The Sandaime was sure Naruto would make his own plans and those plans would not benefit Konoha in any way. "I'll see you in a month…" the Jonin said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

 **Uchiha Compound**

Mikoto looked at her son with a small smile. She was not disappointed that he was actually leaving the village to do some training, but rather she was happy. Kakashi came highly recommended and if he took things seriously, he would end up helping her son greatly. She would have preferred it if he was also going with Naruto, but she couldn't always get what she wanted.

"You seem a little excited about this," the Uchiha matriarch said to her son. It had been a long time since she saw him so excited like this – it was nice seeing that something could excite him. Perhaps his sensei had promised him something good.

Sasuke nodded, "With just me to focus on, I know Kakashi-sensei will not slack off. He was actually serious about training me, so I think we will be learning something that will help with my development."

It wasn't that he wasn't learning anything useful with Naruto, but he did need some time away from the blond. The thought that the blond was still his age still lingered within his mind and sometimes that didn't make him focus. But with the blond away, he could focus on wiping out that indifferent mask. Yes, he would tear off that mask.

Mikoto looked at her son carefully, "Are you not just excited that you'll get to train without Naruto and learn something that he doesn't know?"

Well, she could see that happening.

Sasuke didn't deny it. "Not just that, but we all win our rounds I get to face him in the finals, I will have something he won't see coming. Sometimes it is difficult knowing that whatever I do; I just can't seem to catch up to him. This is my chance…"

"You can catch up to him if you try hard enough, Sasuke," Mikoto said confidently. "Naruto is still just like you. You are of the same age and you're both geniuses. You also possess something that Naruto doesn't, the Sharingan."

"Naruto has the Sharingan…" Sasuke corrected. He was sure that his mother was very much aware about this. Naruto didn't seem like he capable of hiding things from her so the blond had to have told her about the Sharingans he has.

Mikoto shook her head lightly. "The Sharingans Naruto has can never be used in the same way as you. He cannot use any ability other than what is programmed into the eyes unless he implants them…"

Sasuke nodded, "Well, he is still a Jinchuriki…" that meant he housed chakra that didn't seem to have an end. Chakra was essential in a shinobi battle; Naruto was likely to be better because of his already large amounts of chakra.

"Naruto's strength has nothing to do with the Kyubi, dear," Mikoto said firmly. "Even without the Kyubi, Naruto has much more chakra than you, which is why he can use Kage Bunshins without any risks, but you can't. Despite the fact that he has large amounts of chakra, Naruto's fighting style isn't centred on Ninjutsu, is it?"

Sasuke frowned, shaking his head, "No," he said. "You never see him releasing jutsu after jutsu. Sometimes I even think he only knows two or three jutsus. He isn't afraid to use just one jutsu the entire battle."

"But it is quite effective," Mikoto said. "In any case, don't look at Naruto as a mountain you cannot climb my son. I believe that with hard work, you can do it. You are my son and Itachi's brother. It may not come tomorrow, but I know eventually, you will be better than Naruto. He isn't great it everything either."

That was something that made Sasuke smile, a beautiful smile that would have made Sakura turn crimson as a classic Hinata would and then faint a second later. "Thank you mother," he said. "Naruto is a short range fighter. He always needs to get close to his opponents to win. I think I will better my mid-range techniques to help make up for that weakness."

"Do that," Mikoto said. "And when you come back, make your mother proud, okay?"

"Of course," Sasuke said firmly.

"What will Naruto be doing?"

"I don't know, probably going to train Hinata to prepare her for the match against her cousin. He has been a little 'obsessed' in getting her into the right fighting spirit. He has done a good job so far, but with how much time he gives the girl, you'd think that he actually cared…" Sasuke said in thought.

Mikoto seemed amused. "Don't speak of Naruto like that. He is a sweet person. You just never see that side of him…" she said.

Sasuke looked at his mother with a stare. "The first few days, he treated Hinata like a pet mother," the raven haired said firmly. "I don't care much, but it says something when a person looks at another person not as a human but a pet. It was almost creepy at first..."

Mikoto laughed, "Well that is Naruto," she said. "He is special in his own way. Perhaps this is why I like him so much. He sees things differently, and while flawed, I think he is a good person."

Sasuke didn't tell his mother that the only person who could actually say that with confidence was her and the blond's mother. Not even Kakashi had at least once said that Naruto was a delightful person. The blond was just an indifferent person. His mother just liked the blond…

He shook his head clearing those thoughts. His mind almost drifted into a foreign land – it would have been something uncomfortable. "I will see you when I return mother…" Sasuke waved at his mother as he walked away from her.

 **Hokage Office**

Allies were something valuable in the Elemental Nations, but one could never be too sure that they would be there to help in the time of need. The Sandaime Hokage had sent a message to the Yondaime Kazekage to talk to him about what he had learned about Orochimaru's plans. He needed Suna to offer a helping hand as a sign of their friendship and strong alliance.

It was still early days, but he was having a bad feeling. The man had so far said that he would only come to Konoha during the day of the finals, so they won't have much time to talk before that. He only hoped that things would work out for the best though.

But in case things don't work out, he would have a plan. You could not fully expose your back in the Shinobi world. There was always something that was looking forward to stabbing you. The Sandaime would make sure that even if things with Sunagakure don't work out; Konoha would be in the best position to handle its problems.

Of course he thought the possibilities of Sunagakure turning their backs on them were very low. Granted, the talks they have held and the agreements they have signed were not just a farce, nothing could go wrong. Sarutobi believed so. He had come to trust Rasa – but not with his life of course. Every Kage always did what was best for their villages – that meant anything was possible.

"Orochimaru has surely grown arrogant in his power…" The Sandaime Hokage said to Jiraiya – who was sitting on the window frame, looking outside from the tower into the streets of the village he called his beloved home.

The Sannin continued staring outside for a few moments before looking back inside the office and to his former sensei. "Yes," the man said in a quiet tone and a small nod. "I can't really believe that he is going to do it though…" he paused for a moment, studying the Third carefully, "How are you dealing with it though? Orochimaru was your favourite student."

The Sandaime Hokage lost his smile for a moment as he put on a disappointed look on his face. He shook his head, wiping the look off his face. He turned his eye sight towards the ceiling as he responded, "I did see him as my son and even though people told me that he was evil in the inside, I was blinded by my love for him. Even when faced with the chance to do right, I still could not do it," the old man shifted his gaze towards Jiraiya and put in a hardened mask. "But this time I will not."

"You plan to face Orochimaru…" Jiraiya stated with a frown. "You've not been getting any stronger sensei. You're way past your prime…"

The Sandaime smiled bitterly, "I know," he said. "But this is something that I must do. I have made so many mistakes in the past, and although I have been trying to correct them, the consequences still weigh up on me. I can still fight."

Jiraiya wasn't going to doubt his sensei. In his prime, the old man had been called a god of shinobi and that wasn't just something that was given to him because he was better – he had been an excellent shinobi and his genius made him feared and respected all over the Elemental Nations. He believed there was still one more fight with the Sandaime.

Besides that, Orochimaru was his greatest blunders. He had allowed the snake to leave the village when he could have stopped him. For the old man to have peace in his when he does face death, he would need to correct the mistake that he made.

"But if I see that you're struggling, I will not hesitate to interfere," Jiraiya said in a firm tone. "I cannot allow you to die. You can hate me in the end, but this village still needs you, sensei. Even though you're way old, you're still a pillar that cannot be shaken. You have had your faults, but you have always tried to do what is best."

Hiruzen smiled warmly, "I don't plan on dying anytime soon, Jiraiya," he said. He wasn't being completely honest with his former student. If killing Orochimaru meant sacrificing himself, he would do it. Of course he would worry about Naruto, but he was sure he had made plans for things to work out.

"Honestly sensei," Jiraiya said with a bitter smile. "I have lost Minato, no family left, Tsunade-hime isn't here, and if you go as well, I'd really be lost…" the Sannin said in a calm yet sad tone.

The Sandaime didn't say anything. This one of those moments he needed to get something strong to drink or his pipe. But he suppressed the urge. "You can try to get Tsunade back, and you still have Naruto and Kushina-chan…"

Speaking of the blonds just made the Toad Sage frown. "Tsunade has been refusing my advances and she has come close to breaking my bones each time I try to get her back to the village and Naruto, although he is my god son, won't acknowledge me as family. Kushina doesn't have a problem though…"

He could get along with the two just fine… his time away with them from the village had proved that. While he might not have grown closer to Naruto, he was still able to understand the blond a bit. If they share something in common, Naruto wouldn't have a problem with him. The blond didn't hate him anyway, just didn't care.

"Naruto is just a little detached," the Sandaime Hokage said. "He doesn't care for making bonds just for the sake of it. Naruto doesn't ignore you when you try to talk to him – he speaks to you freely. Don't force things, just allow things follow through their course and it will work out. As long as you keep making an appearance in his life, Naruto will notice you."

Jiraiya managed a smile at hearing this, "I just…" he trailed off when he heard a knock at the door.

"Enter," The Sandaime said.

The door slowly opened as Naruto stepped into the office. He eyes travelled from the old man sitting behind his desk and then to Jiraiya – they lingered on the Sannin for a moment before looking back at the Sandaime Hokage.

"Ah, Naruto-kun," the old man said happily. "Have you come for the preparations?" He spoke without explaining what the preparations were for. He knew Naruto would get it.

The blond nodded. "I'm leaving the village along with my mother and Hinata…" he said. "We need permission for that."

The old man nodded with a smile. "I have already prepared the documents and signed them. You should be good to go tomorrow morning. "Is there anything else that you'll need?"

Naruto shook his head.

"You need to keep something in mind, Naruto," the Third said in a serious tone. "Now that you have caught Orochimaru's interest, he will likely be after you as well. If you don't mind, it would be best if you permit Jiraiya to make visits every now and then. He will be doing the same with Sasuke."

"That is fine," Naruto said calmly. "I just wanted to make sure that things were in order. I have already had Hinata pack her things. I will see you tomorrow morning then…" the blond.

"Before you leave," The Sandaime started. "I want you to visit the gravesite at around 4pm. You should meet someone there…"

Naruto looked at the old man questionably but all he got from the Third was a smile and so he nodded and then disappeared from the office via Shunshin.

"What are you planning?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

The Third continued to smile before a few moments before he finally responded to his former student. "Naruto's captain in Anbu, well former captain. She is having some troubles and I'm sure she will be there at the site by that time. Naruto made a bond with his team during his Anbu days, so I am sure he will be useful…"

The Toad Sage shook his head. Well, his sensei was always scheming something. When was he ever going to take it easy? "Sensei," Jiraiya started. "Do you think that Orochimaru would try to get Naruto to follow him when he realizes just how he thinks?"

The Sandaime nodded. "There is no doubt about that," the old man said firmly. "But there is no chance Naruto will actually follow Orochimaru. If anything, he would join the hunt for my former foolish student. Naruto detest people like Orochimaru and would never allow him to get close to his mother. In Naruto's eyes, she is a pure person, just like Hinata is, and if Orochimaru got closer, he would only try to corrupt them."

Jiraiya appeared to think for a few moments before speaking once again. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about that. He also formed a rather strong bond with Mikoto and Sasuke seems to be willing to follow him without question…"

"He has," the Third said with a small nod.

"How are you going to handle things though? You're okay with him leaving the village along with his mother because he won't be able to notice the increase in security. Anbu forces already know, and the Jonins will be informed shortly. With Naruto away, he won't know…"

"But if he finds out while away, he won't bother returning," the Sandaime Hokage said calmly. "If something like that happens, it won't be good for him. The villagers will turn on him as the Jinchuriki and shinobi who fled from his responsibilities. They won't say he is Minato's son, they will say he is nothing like their hero."

Of course if something like that happens, Naruto would have an excuse to never set foot in the village. There were other factors that could sway the blond though and one was Uchiha Mikoto. The Third was positive that Naruto wouldn't just abandon the village without talking to her first. Mikoto would not leave because she has her clan to look after.

This meant that Sasuke would also be around the village with his mother still here. Things could still work out.

"Don't you think he will just disappear when he learns that the village is under attack?" Jiraiya asked.

The Sandaime smiled, "I have a plan for that," he said. "Don't worry about it – it is solid. It will make sure that Naruto fights for Konoha without any worries about his mother… you just worry about what you have to do and leave Naruto to me."

Jiraiya didn't like the glint in his sensei's eyes. It was always there when the old man was plotting something and he just hoped that it was something that wouldn't backfire. But whatever it was, he was sure it wasn't something he wanted people to know.

"What about Danzo?" The war hawk had not been just sitting quiet as the Sandaime ran the show. He was doing on his own share of scheming. It may not be anything 'illegal' but it wasn't something good when it was being planned by the man. There was always a sinister motive behind Danzo's actions after all.

The Sandaime's smile was replaced by a frown as he responded to Jiraiya. "That is a problem, but I am trying to limit the damage that he is doing. For now, we have Orochimaru to worry about. But of course that doesn't mean that we must take our eyes off him. One little slip and he will be ready to pounce."

 **Hyuga Compound**

Hinata nervously glanced at her father, with her mind working out a few ways on how things would go about with what she was going to say to him. Trying to get him to talk to her hadn't been easy, but she had managed it. Perhaps he was willing to speak to her because she had made it to the final round of the Chunin exams.

"Father," Hinata managed to say the word without stuttering. Perhaps it was because she didn't hold many nice feelings towards the man. She wouldn't say she hated the man. Despite everything, the man was her father and nothing would change that. Even so, she didn't hold too many fond feelings towards him.

Naruto was always telling her to speak her mind, but when she was faced with those unflinching eyes, she could never really speak her mind about certain things and to think the man who could stare at her coldly was her father. She was nothing more like a slave bought at a hefty price for the Hyuga to use, but since she had been deemed useless, they had discarded her, but still wished her to live because they had paid a hefty fee.

"What is it, Hinata?" Hiashi questioned in a stern tone.

"I-I'm… I…" Hinata swallowed when her father merely stared at her coldly, twitching slightly at her stuttering. Any second now and he would stand up and leave the room. She would not be able to say anything to him. "I am going to leave the village with my team for this month before the final round of the Chunin exams."

Hinata was a lot more surprised than Hiashi at her audacity. The former Hyuga heiress had spoken in a firm tone, not asking her father for permission to leave the village but merely informing him that she was leaving. It sounded as if his opinion didn't matter in her decision to leave the village.

Getting over his surprise, Hiashi put on a not so amused mask on his face. "What makes you think that I am going to allow you to leave the village?" He asked, merely out of curiosity. He was daring her to give a response.

If the Sandaime approved of it, then there was no way he could stand in the way. She was serving the village as a member of Konoha's military force. If her sensei said she had to be at the training ground at 12am, she would have to be there. He could only use his power to make the Jonin in charge of her 'reconsider' things.

"I was only informed to tell you that I leave tomorrow and will return on the day for the finals," Hinata said in a humbled tone, her eyes not facing her father. It was a big ask for her to speak without stuttering, but facing the man straight in the eye would just shatter her confidence.

"Do as you like," Hiashi said dismissively. "It isn't like I have much hope for you anyway. You have disappointed me long before, I cannot expect anything good from you."

Interestingly enough, Hinata didn't feel downed by those harsh words. Perhaps it because she now knew that she was a lot better than what her father believed her to be.

 **Senju Compound**

Kankuro stared into the sky running a number of thoughts inside his head. They were ready to leave the village and return to Suna, but it wasn't the return that was making him worry, but rather, what Baki had told him and the fact that he had to keep it a secret from his brother and sister.

His sensei had informed him of Suna's planned invasion to Konoha. The man didn't seem to agree with it, but still had to do what needed to be done because he was following orders of the Kazekage. The man had ordered his forces to prepare for war, and shinobi would do so. Sunagakure wasn't in the best of places, but still, it wasn't really in a position of power. It heavily depended on Konoha to thrive.

He didn't understand all that, but he still had to do what he needed to do. He didn't think that his father would plot against Konoha, but it was happening. Kankuro didn't really care about anything; he just wanted to make sure that his siblings were safe. It keeping this information from them would keep them safe - then he was going to do so.

Temari and Gaara were being kept in the dark because according to Baki, the two were much closer to Naruto and his mother. If Suna was going to betray Suna, it would really be betraying them. If the two knew, they would no doubt tell Naruto about it or his mother.

Kankuro had seen how Naruto acted around his mother and he had heard what his sister said about the blond when things relate to this mother. Kushina also really cared about his siblings, but he could not risk anything, even though he knew that. He didn't really care that much about Naruto anyway. It was a little easy for him to go about things.

"You've been spacing a lot recently," Temari said walking up to her brother. "What is bothering you brother?"

Kankuro turned to face his elder sister for a moment before looking at Gaara – who was just behind Temari. "Our father," the puppet user said. That was something believable because he was actually worried about his father.

Gaara looked at his brother carefully. He knew when someone was hiding something and he was sure that Kankuro was hiding something as well. But because he didn't know how serious things were, he couldn't say anything. Besides, he believed that his brother would come around when he feels there time is right for him to tell them what he is keeping bottled up.

"He has not been himself recently," Gaara said calmly. "I wonder what has been happening around. We are no longer to wander into the Kazekage tower and there has been a lot of activity within the village."

Kankuro was glad he had his face mask on; otherwise there would be some worries on his face. Gaara wasn't stupid. He was very observant, but he was not going to let anything slip through unless the redhead decided to use interrogation to get information. Kankuro really didn't see that happening, though.

"I wonder what is happening…" Temari added her own thoughts. "I thought things had changed, but now things seem to have returned to the way they used to be…"

Baki walked up to the three siblings before anything could be said. He got straight to the point, "I just received a message from the Kazekage," he said. "He said you're all to say here, as long as the Uzumaki permits it. If not, we will find you a hotel. I will handle your training, so you don't have to worry about anything."

Of course staying here was just a way for him to keep his presence in the village so that he could study the village's defences and study where and how he could attack. Understanding the enemy from the inside would be better in order to take them out.

There would be a lot of questions if he appeared in the village every now and then without anything really. With his students he could get in and out of the village in the pretence of taking them out on a training field outside the village. They had made it to the finals, so no one would question anything.

"I don't think Naruto's mother will have a problem," Temari said. "But the problem is that Naruto won't be in the village along with his mother. He didn't say anything about the details, but he told me that he would be leaving the village for some training time."

All the better, Baki thought. He could make use of the compound without worrying about the Uzumakis catching him. He just had to worry about Konoha's Anbu, but he was sure that he could handle things smoothly.

"I have already spoken to the Sandaime Hokage and he is okay with everything… you just have to talk to Kushina-san…" Baki said.

"Talk to me about what?" Kushina suddenly asked, as she walked towards the Suna shinobis, with Naruto slowly walking beside her.

Baki turned to face the woman. He really needed to keep his guard up a lot more. He hadn't felt the presence of the two before the woman spoke. In fact, he hadn't even felt the presence of the blond beside her until he saw him. What was with that blond, anyway?

"Rasa-sama has requested that you allow his children to stay here while they prepare for the Chunin exam finals. They only told me that you were leaving the village…"

Kushina blinked. "Well yeah, we are leaving the village, but I don't see any problem if you stay here anyway. I will have Mikoto-chan keep an eye them while away…" she paused turning to Naruto. "Would you rather we leave with them? It could be fun…"

Naruto shook his head. "They will be opponents in the finals, it will be best I not see anything of their abilities as they train," the blond responded calmly.

"Well, I tried," Kushina mumbled.

Naruto wasn't worried about the three staying here while he was away. The Senju compound didn't have anything valuable in it that they could find. The only valuable thing was protected by a blood seal, and finding it wasn't likely unless they were searching for it. The rest of his 'assets' were inside the safety of his house.

Kushina smiled as she looked at the Sand kids, "Well, come on you guys. If you are going to stay here for a month, we need to stock up the food for you stay. You're my guests, so I can't have you buy your own food."

 **Root bases**

Danzo narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru as the snake Sannin walked through his 'house' with Kabuto right beside him. "What are you playing at Orochimaru?" The war hawk demanded as the snake neared him.

"What do you mean by that, Danzo?" Orochimaru asked innocently. He knew what the man was talking about, but it was fun seeing Danzo make that face. He got a glare from the man and he merely laughed in response.

"Don't make me reconsider colluding with you, Orochimaru," Danzo stated in a firm tone.

Orochimaru shrugged. "You didn't have a choice in the matter. For you to get what you want, you need me…" the snake smirked. "You shouldn't say such careless things, Danzo. I could handle things on my part without you, but working with you making things a little interesting…"

Danzo was quiet for a few moments as he mulled over his thoughts. If he really had any other option, he would have not have asked the Sannin for his help. Well, it just happened that the snake was acting and it was something that could work for him and so he decided to hitch a hike.

"Nevertheless, if you're going to continue working with me, I'll need you to tell me when you are going to do things that I will find troubling…" Danzo stated firmly.

"Continue?" Orochimaru said in an amused tone. "Come on, Danzo, we both know that as soon as you have Konoha in your hands, you will try to get rid of me. I'm useful right now, but once you have gained what you need, you will try to kill me. I have been working with you for a long time; do you really think that I naively walk with you thinking we can be real partners?"

"I guess I will have to find the answers on my own then," Danzo said, ignoring Orochimaru's question. "I want the Uchiha, and I will very like it if you keep your distance… Naruto is also off limits…"

"You can't have everything you want, Danzo," Orochimaru said calmly. "Speaking of Naruto-kun, what can you tell about him? He seems a lot more interesting than I first thought."

"I heard he humiliated you," Danzo said. If he could smile, he would be smiling right about now. He really did some satisfaction in knowing that the snake had been humiliated by a mere brat. "That must have wounded your pride."

"Kukukukukukukuku," Orochimaru burst out laughing. "I must say he caught me by surprise. I didn't think that I would see the Hiraishin in action in his hands, and he seems to control the Kyubi's power to some degree."

"There is more to him than that," Danzo said. "He is a cunning child, and a former Anbu. I will need him for my new Konoha. The power of the Kyubi needs to be used for Konoha's safety and goals…" the war hawk paused as he changed the subject. "How are things at your end?"

"Fine," Orochimaru said with a grin. "Things are moving smoothly. I just hope you don't plan on stabbing me in the back right after I kill my sensei…"

"I will be busy," Danzo said. "I'm sure you'll have something planned up just in case."

"You know me," Orochimaru said, smiling. "Make sure you hold you end of the deal Danzo. I don't want to use threats, but there will be consequences if you don't. I have nothing to lose in this, but with you, you have everything to lose."

 **Graveyard**

Naruto was surprised when he saw Yugao at the site. He was not really expecting to see her of all people. The Sandaime had said that he would meet someone, but never did he think that he would meet her of all people. What was she even doing at a place like this? And what did the old man have planned? This wasn't just something random. When it came to him, Sarutobi didn't do random stuff, everything was always calculated.

The blond shook off his thoughts and walked towards Yugao. As he grew closer to her, he heard a sobbing sound. Naruto didn't make much of it until he got closer to her. She was standing in front of a stone – who was buried under the stone didn't interest him at all, but he was surprised to see tears streaming running down her cheeks.

The blond frowned slightly as he realizing that the woman was crying. She didn't even seem to have noticed his presence at all. Naruto just stood there, his eyes analysing the look on her face: her eyes were all red, and she looked anguished.

This was the part of humans that was very much interesting. Sometimes these vile creatures could look so broken that it was almost sad. Naruto could not say that Yugao was pretending. She wasn't the kind to do so. She looked to be in pain.

Naruto could not empathize. He did not feel a damn thing within him. There was nothing that could make him move towards her to comfort. The only tears that moved him were his mother's. When had he last seen them? He could not even think of taking such a luggage to his mother so that she could comfort it. His mother was not a machine used to comfort people.

He was basically useless in this kind of situation, so why had the Sandaime brought him to this place? Naruto smiled when he realized something. He was never going to have pieces of his own. The Sandaime was a cunning and manipulative geezer who kept besting him. He had Hinata because the old man had pushed her into his hands, and now he was throwing him another piece to use.

It was like all the pieces he had on his board were all handpicked by the crafty old man. How Naruto hated knowing that everything that he was doing was according the old man's plans. He just could not get away from the web that connected him to the Sandaime's schemes.

This was another piece for him, huh? Well Naruto wasn't going to push Yugao away. He was going away for some time; he could use someone else to teach Hinata while he worked on his reflexes and taijutsu. He was going to face a speed demon in the finals; it would not do him good if he neglected his training.

He was not looking forward to having his mother nurse a wounded hurt, but this had to be done. Yugao would always be grateful for her help. He had come to understand loyalty was much stronger than strings of manipulation. Of course that depended on people – with humans, anything was very much possible.

Naruto took Yugao's hand and the disappeared in gusts of wind.

 **End of chapter**

 **I know it must be frustrating that no matter what Naruto does, the Sandaime always seems to have the upper hand. It would be fair if Naruto does have his little moments, but at the moment, he isn't losing anything and only takes the initiative because things work well for him in the end.**

 **I'm done with chapter 16, so I will post it within the next 24 hours…  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The Sandaime Hokage smiled at 'Kazekage' as the man took his seat beside him. They were the only Kages present for the finals of this Chunin exam. Well, the Professor wasn't making much complains about the absence. This way was just fine. The important people were not the Kages but rather the potential clients and the contestants.

"It would have been good for both of us if you'd come here earlier," Hiruzen said to the Kazekage. "There were certain things that I wanted to discuss with you."

Sunagakure was allied with Konohagakure and there were things that needed to be ironed out. He also had the intention of informing the man of Orochimaru's plans, but this wasn't a good place to do so. Still, for someone who went through many ways in order to form a strong relationship between the two villages, he would have thought that the man would be more than happy to discuss business.

"We will have all the time we need after the finals," the 'Kazekage' said calmly. "I must thank you though for taking care of my children. I thought cutting the distance they would have had to cover while travelling to and back from Suna would give them enough time to train."

The Sandaime smiled. "Although I was not able to see their training, I am sure that they had more than enough time. The Senju compound's training fields are protected by barriers, so they would have had the secrecy they needed."

"Ah, that would be the Uzumakis doing," 'Rasa' said with a smile. "Baki informs me that they were away from the village. They have yet to return…"

"It appears that way," Sarutobi said. "I'm not even sure myself where they went. You know Naruto; he doesn't like indulging everything and is quite capable."

The 'Kazekage' laughed for a second. "Yes, he is indeed quite capable for someone his age. I was honestly surprised when I learned of the things he could do. You have raised quite the shinobi with him… I am just glad that he is engaged to my daughter…"

"We can talk about that later," the Sandaime Hokage said as he stood up from his seat. He raised his right hand to silence the full packed stadium. "Thank you for coming everyone! I welcome you to the finals of the Chunin exam!"

The proctor stepped up before the Sandaime could say anything further. "My name is Gokke, and I will be the proctor of the finals. I will state some rules before we begin: There will be a count of five and if the contestant isn't in the stadium by the count of five, he/she will be disqualified; the match will be over when a contestant is unable to continue or when he/she waves the white flag. I reserve the right to call off a match and declare a winner if I believe the contestant can longer continue.

"I will not repeat the rules as I believe they are simple enough for everyone to understand them. There will be no special treatment for anyone late… First match: Hyuga Hinata vs Hyuga Neji!"

With Mikoto

"Miko-chan," Kushina said to the Uchiha as she made herself comfortable beside the woman. "Thanks for saving my seat," she said.

"I figured you'd want to watch with your friend by your side," Mikoto said responded with a smile.

It didn't feel as if it had been a month since she last saw the Uzumaki. Really time had moved so quickly. With her precious son away, she thought things would have been slow as the desire to see her loved ones return grew by the day, but it had just flown by. Perhaps it because she had been buried deep in her work as clan head and trying to tie some loose ends with other clans.

"Naturally," Kushina said taking her eyes into the centre of the stadium as she saw Neji take his turn. She glanced at her friend for a moment as she asked. "Things okay in my absence?"

Mikoto nodded, "Yes," she said. "Just missed you and Naruto. Speaking of which, where is he? The match is about to begin and if he is late, Hinata will be disqualified from her match. I doubt he trained her just so she could be disqualified."

Kushina wasn't worried about that. She had just been with Naruto and Hinata just a few minutes ago. They'd only returned to the village. She'd wanted to return earlier but Naruto had said he wanted to get some things done in preparation for his match against Lee.

"Might be planning for a dramatic entrance…" Kushina said with a smile.

Mikoto smiled at hearing that – she was slightly amused, but not surprised. Naruto wasn't the one for dramatics. He wouldn't put on a show, especially for people such as these. It was not secret to her that Naruto held no love for Konoha's people. Putting on a show for them wasn't something he'd do, unless there was a motive behind.

She really liked how the blond worked his mind. It was admirable. "I just want to see his match. He is going to go against a very tough opponent," Mikoto said. Honestly, she was a lot eager to see Naruto fight than seeing her own son do battle against a Jinchuriki. Was she bad mother for that?

Back at centre stage

Neji confidently strolled on the ground, his eyes darting around for a sign of Hinata. He could not see her anywhere, and he had been tempted to use his Byakugan to find her. He wasn't nervous about fighting her, not by any chance. The thought of using the Byakugan was because he thought that she might be hiding from him.

She was a spineless and sheltered little girl after all. She was a failure and everyone in the Hyuga clan knew that. It wouldn't surprise him even if she doesn't show up. He would still be disappointed though. He wanted to show everyone that just because he was in the branch family, didn't mean that he was a loser.

The proctor looked up for a moment. "We will beg-"

The man was cut off when a powerful tornado blitzed into the stadium. The tornado crashed at the centre in a loud boom that caused debris to pick up, but it did not fold. It continued spinning powerfully for a few moments.

It had happened so quickly that the crowd had been put on alert by the arrival. The shinobi who had been ready for war, had nearly jumped out of their hiding place with their weapons raised. But the swirling winds suddenly burst, dispersing, revealing a very Hyuga Hinata with her right knee on her ground, and Naruto standing just beside her with his right hand on her right shoulder.

The blond disappeared a second later.

Neji narrowed his eyes at his cousin. He had to quite honestly admit that he was very shocked by her appearance. He hadn't thought that his timid cousin would actually have the spine to actually be okay with an entrance like this.

As Hinata stood up, the proctor spoke. "Are both contestants ready?" There were stiff nods from both Hyugas. "Begin!"

Neji didn't get into a stance; he took the chance to speak. He didn't care that people could hear him. Nothing would really change. He was fated for misery. "I thought you were simply hiding unable to face me…" Neji said a bit arrogantly.

Hinata tilted her head to the side. She wasn't smiling, but her expression wasn't completely blank. "Why would I hide, Neji-niisan?" The former Hyuga heiress asked in a quiet tone.

Neji couldn't really spot the difference between the Hinata he knew and the Hinata he was seeing in front of him. "Why? You're a failure, and you cannot defeat me, Hinata-sama. You cannot defeat me. A failure like you should have just stayed in bed. You're not even fit to be a shinobi."

"A failure, huh?" Hinata put on a really said smile. "I am a failure. My own father considered me a failure and told me that he expected nothing of me even though I made it to the finals. I am a weak coward who lost the status of clan heiress to my younger sister simply because I could not strike her down… but what of it?"

Neji was slightly surprised by Hinata's calm response. "What of it?" He scoffed. "What? Because you father discarded you, you want to prove yourself against me? Don't be a fool, Hinata-sama…" he paused. "Oh, wait, you are a fool. You cannot defeat me. That is your fate. You're nothing but a spoiled little princess and I will show you just how much of a failure you are…"

"I have nothing to prove to my father," Hinata said in a firm tone that surprised many in the stadium. "I am indeed a failure, a coward yes. But you're mistaken, Neji: I am not a spoiled child. There is no difference between you and me."

"There is a difference!" Neji shouted, momentarily losing his calm. "You don't have to walk around cursed by seal. You're born into the main family, you have everything given to you and don't have this fate hanging over your forehead."

Hinata's said smile deepened as she shook her head. "Do you know something, Neji? My own father has threatened to put the caged bird seal on me, regardless of my birth… You're not the only one with burdens, I know someone with a heavy burden, far greater than yours. At least you didn't have to walk around this village with people cursing your very existence because you carry something…" Hinata took a stance, but did not activate her Byakugan.

A second later, she darted towards Neji. She didn't attack him head on, instead, she jumped up into the air, flipping and faced downwards. "Byakugan…" the doujutsu activated as her body began to twist around in mid-air. She charged down towards Neji like a bullet, rushing through in tremendous speed.

There was a loud boom when she crashed into the ground. Neji did just enough to jump away from the human bullet. The moment he landed on the ground, Hinata was already on the attack once again. Her right hand was glowing with chakra and she aimed a strike towards his forehead.

Neji leaned back slightly to avoid the blow. As he did, Hinata raised her right foot and attempted a high kick aimed towards Neji's left shoulder. The Hyuga blocked her kick with the palm of his right hand – which was glowing with chakra. He then grabbed her leg around the ankle. Hinata sent her free foot towards Neji's head, but the kick was caught once again.

Before Hinata could strike Neji with the palm of her right hand, her cousin acted faster and brutally slammed her into the ground. The Hyuga prodigy then jumped slightly before aiming a strike straight towards Hinata's chest.

While still lying on the ground, Hinata held out the palm of her right hand, glowing with chakra. Neji's strike was blocked by the palm of her hand, but there was an explosion of chakra when the two hands collided. Hinata was slightly buried into the ground, as Neji flashed away from her.

The crowd roared as Hinata stood up and took a stance.

Neji merely glared at her heatedly. She was putting on a fight, far better than he had expected her. He could not allow her to perform like this. And so, Neji dashed towards Hinata.

Upon reaching her the Hyuga prodigy aimed a high left footed kick towards Hinata. His foot was glowing with chakra as he sought to strengthen the kick. Hinata leaned back as he had predicted and Neji reacted in faster speed as he brought his right foot into the ground, and aimed a powerful strike into Hinata's chest.

Hinata managed to put her left hand as a last ditch cover, but the attack was still able to send her crashing into the walls of the arena. She crashed into the wall with her back, but was quick to peel herself off it as Neji was upon her again.

The prodigy reached her quickly, and began his attacks. "You're within my field! Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms!" As the Hyuga released his strikes, he was baffled as Hinata blocked each strike. None of his sixty four strikes hit her. Neji's shock had been clearly visible as well as his frustrations at being unable to hit his cousin. He just could not understand how she could have blocked all strikes without allowing one to slip. No one had had fought against had actually done that.

More to that, Hinata was a complete failure.

While Neji was in his shock, Hinata reacted quickly and waved a high kick that slammed into the Hyuga's forehead, sending him flying backwards. Neji flipped several times in mid-air before landing on both his feet.

"Does it surprise you that much?" Hinata asked quietly. "You say that I'm a failure, and I agreed with you. But do you know something? I have a sensei; who has been telling me that I am not a failure and has brought me to this level."

"Don't get full of yourself!" Neji shouted.

"I really do care about you, Neji. This resentment that you carry towards us… it pains me. I have always wanted to be your friend and family, not just Hinata-sama, the spoiled child you see as having everything because of her birth…" Hinata said as she took out a scroll and opened it. "I don't want to fight in a way that will hurt you."

Naruto would probably not approve, but there was a way in which the blond had taught her that would guarantee her victory. Above everything else, she just wanted to save her cousin. Besides, it wouldn't be a good surprise if she does manage to keep some cards hidden to herself.

Naruto hadn't taught her just one way of fighting.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Kai!" Hinata said after throwing the scroll into the air. The scroll releasing a wave of water that sped towards Neji, but they did no harm, but rather just filled the entire ground.

Neji narrowed his eyes suspiciously - his Byakugan could see traces of Hinata's chakra within the water. It was strange. Hyuga's always fought with their taijutsu style and nothing else. What was Hinata planning?

"I didn't lose my status as clan heir because I was really weak. I could fight my sister, but I just could not strike her because she was my younger sister. I wanted to protect her, not hit her. But due to my own weakness, she ended up carrying the weight that I was supposed to carry. Instead of protecting her, I burdened her," Hinata said with a sad smile. "I am gentle. My sensei isn't the gentlest person, actually, he can be cold-hearted at times, but do you know what? He told me that my kindness is what makes me who I am and that I should never lose it."

"Kakashi?"

Hinata shook her head. "Uzumaki Naruto… he is my sensei. I can fight because of the inspiration he has given me. He gave me courage and the will to stand up. Perhaps if you speak to him one day, you will learn to understand that what you carry on your forehead isn't something you can curse your own existence about, but what he actually carries is something much more…"

Hinata took a stance and held out both her hands.

Neji didn't say anything, but he charged towards Hinata, rushing through the water in the ring. He twisted around along with the water and then sent a strike towards Hinata's left shoulder. Hinata moved a motion with her left hand, a wall of water pulled up, creating a shield. Neji's strike the wall, splashing the water, but didn't reach Hinata.

The prodigy once again, sent another strike towards Hinata, but the girl once again raised a shield of water. Neji attempted more strikes, but she continued to block them with the damn water.

The Hyuga jumped away from the girl and glared at her. She was looking winded, but so was he.

"It's fitting, isn't it?" Hinata suddenly spoke. "The water is gentle, so is the name of our taijutsu style…"

The moment those words left Hinata's mouth, Neji was jumping into the air as the water was moving up to grab both his feet. He frowned when he realized that there was no escaping the water. It was all over the arena. The moment he landed down, the water quickly grabbed both his feet like some gentle chains.

Hinata moved her hands as the water began to rise up around Neji. The water created a dome around the Hyuga prodigy before Hinata spoke once again. "If I close this up, you will be trapped in a water bubble, and won't be able to breathe… do wish to give up?"

Neji's face looked as if he had just been insulted massively. He glared hatefully at his cousin for a full minute before scoffing. "I will never surrender to you. Don't think that you have won!"

Hinata allowed the water to move towards Neji.

"Kaiten!" Neji suddenly shouted. The Hyuga created a large dome of chakra. The rotating chakra hit the water, sending it splashing towards the walls of the arena. When Neji stopped spinning, he was breathing a bit heavily.

"This has been achieved through hard work, the ultimate defence. You cannot defeat me, Hinata-sama…"

Hinata smiled. "You're a genius alright," the Hyuga said smiling. "That is something that only main family members ought to know, and yet you have mastered it on your own. If I was the clan head, I would not keep you from learning such things."

Hinata looked into the sky for a moment before looking back at Neji. She raised her right hand. "I wasn't expecting that and I have run out of chakra. Pro-"

Neji seemed to have sensed that she was going to give up and sped towards her, but Hinata didn't do anything, she merely stared at her cousin. Upon reaching her, Neji released his Kaiten, once again, but here he used it for offense. The rotation, slammed into Hinata, and sent her brutally crashing into the wall.

Still, Hinata got into her feet, her sad smile painted with blood. "Proctor, I am unable to continue…"

Neji cursed his cousin. She could still fight. She still had chakra to continue. The fact that she was still able to get up after receiving that blow was lost to his mind. He was raging over the fact that she was faking being worn out. "Is that it? You coward, you're just going to run away?!"

"My intention was not to win, but to put up a good fight. I pushed you to your limits. You can't use Kaiten anymore; you have just enough chakra for one last move… I prefer to take things step by step. I put up a good fight, perhaps next time; I will fight to win…" Hinata turned away from her cousin.

Neji gritted his teeth in anger. She was showing him her back even though the proctor had yet to announce a winner. Neji lunged towards Hinata, but he didn't reach her because he was stopped by the proctor – who sent him a warning look.

"Winner: Hyuga Neji!"

There was a round of applause.

With Naruto

Naruto had been watching the match from above where he was with other genins and their senseis. "What were you feeding her?" was the question Ino demanded after the proctor announced the winner.

"Nothing," Naruto said. "She was just taking things seriously, as a kunoichi should. I am honestly disappointed that she did not break him."

Ino narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Are you suggesting that I don't?"

Naruto turned to face the Yamanaka girl to see if she really wanted him to respond to her question. After watching her put on a pathetic show during the prelims, Naruto hadn't been more disappointed. Why couldn't she take things seriously? She was a kunoichi and perhaps if she had been willing, she could have turned out to be of use.

Ino stared back, daring the blond to respond.

"That is what I am suggesting, Ino," Naruto said. He sighed. "Perhaps that was my fault. I always fought your battles when you got into trouble. I should have taught you to defend yourself instead of just defending you."

"Protecting me was your job," Ino said with her hands folded across her chest.

"One that you forced me to do," Naruto grunted.

Shikamaru cut in. "Hinata said she didn't want to fight in a way that would hurt Neji, and you suggesting that she could have broken him means that there is more to her than she showed. Well, I think anyone would be able to tell. The kind of blow she received from taking on Neji's Kaiten isn't something one would just shrug off. Aside from that, she was able to match Neji in speed and blocked all his attacks that could have proved fatal…" the Nara said.

"Are you suggesting that she allowed Neji to hit her?" Kurenai asked sceptically. There was great improvement, she saw it, but Shikamaru was suggesting that made things hard to believe.

Shikamaru stared at Naruto for a few moments before shrugging. "Maybe she couldn't… but one what is certain is that, she did not struggle to block Neji's technique. I'm sure the experienced eyes can say she did it almost effortlessly." The Nara paused for a moment. "Your turn is next."

Naruto nodded.

"Naruto," Ino said in a quiet tone. "Will you also be able to teach me?"

Naruto stared at the girl for a long minute. Once could explain that as his surprise even though it was not visible on his face. He wasn't only expecting Ino to actually say those words. It was something that almost made him smile… Almost...

"I will," he said before disappearing.

He appeared in front of Lee, who looked more than ready to jump on him before the proctor could even officially start the match. This was going to be one hell of a battle. It was simply because the situation that surrounded him and the fact that this was a friendly wouldn't allow him to fight as he should. Lee was a fine genin with great speed and incredible physical prowess.

This was surely going to put him to the test. It was fine though. A part of him relished to be put to the test. He was never usually restrained and pushed against the wall.

"Both contestants ready?" The proctor asked earning a nod from Naruto and a 'hai' from Lee. "Begin!"

"Let us have a good match, Naruto-kun," Lee said firmly. His sensei had informed him that Naruto was better than Sasuke and he had to be careful. Of course he had been surprised when Gai informed him that Naruto was better, but when he remembered that the blond had caught his kick when he was attempting to fight Sasuke, he didn't find it hard to believe.

With the senseis

"Yo, Kakashi," Gai said happily at his rival. "Come in time to watch me my student beat yours?" The man asked with a toothy grin.

Kakashi shrugged as he walked towards the man and other senseis with Sasuke strolling just behind him. "The first match is already over then…" the Jonin said, apparently having ignored Gai.

"Yes," Asuma said. "Neji won…"

"Hinata could have still continued fighting though," Kurenai pointed out. "She seemed evenly matched with Neji on taijutsu and she had just pointed out that Neji didn't have much chakra left. She might have won if she didn't forfeit."

"I foresaw something like that happening," Kakashi said with a shake of his head. "Well, it hardly matters anyway. I imagine the point wasn't for Hinata to win but to prove that she isn't as weak as people make her out to be. She must have showed guts, skill and decisiveness. If she pushed Neji to his limits, it is worth celebrating. I imagine not a single person in this arena was expecting her to win let alone put up a good fight. If she did that, without even defeating Neji, then she won…" Kakashi paused and turned to face Gai… "You were saying something..?"

Gai faltered for a moment before regaining his composure. "Let us make a bet; I say Lee will win this match!"

Kakashi had to think for a moment. "He might actually do it," the Jonin said much to the surprise of Sasuke.

"Are you serious?" Sasuke asked, surprised. "Naruto lose to a genin? I never thought I'd see something like that happening. No, I don't think it is possible…" the Uchiha corrected himself with a shake of his head.

Kurenai was curious. "Why?"

"Because he is strong," The Uchiha said firmly. "Naruto would beat Neji to a pulp. I haven't even come close to beating him. He was the person to trained Hinata. That says much about him…" he paused turning to Kakashi. "What do you really mean?"

"Look at Naruto," Kakashi said. "He isn't carrying his sword. When Naruto fights seriously, he always uses his sword. It doesn't mean he doesn't have the tools to stop Lee, he has them, and if Lee is like Gai, then Naruto knows he won't be someone to just stop by saying give up."

Both Sasuke and Kakashi knew that Naruto used his sword to kill people. The blade wasn't used to get people to give up; it was used to cut things up. Both had seen how the blond used his sword. If he used it in this battle, he would be cutting up Lee. And that would be like chopping of his hands or legs.

"I don't understand," Gai said, blinking in confusion.

"Its best you don't," Kakashi said, managing to sound nonchalant about it.

Back at the Fight

Lee blurred of existence. "Konoha Senpu!" Lee was upon Naruto a matter of seconds, his right foot cleaving through the air in tremendous speed as it charged towards Naruto's forehead. The blond raised both his hands, crossing them to form a defence. When Lee's foot crashed into his hands, Naruto was forced to slide backwards through the ground because of the strength behind Lee's kick.

The taijutsu user didn't stop there; he moved closer to Naruto once again and let out another high kick, but this time with his left foot. Naruto blocked the kick by strengthening his crossed hands once again, and the kick crashed into them, but didn't break through.

In a show of flexibility, Lee dropped to the ground after having his kick blocked. His right foot caught some wind as it travelled through the ground, rushing towards Naruto's feet in an attempt to sweep him off the ground. The blond quickly jumped up, avoiding the attack.

Naruto stretched out his right foot and then attempted to slam his heel on Lee's head, but the taijutsu user held out both his hands just above his head to block the attempt. He held on for the seconds it took for Naruto's left foot to touch down the ground. Before the blond could make any move, Lee raised his right foot and attempted to slam it on his knee.

Naruto quickly moved away to avoid being hit.

He landed a few feet away as Lee straightened up. Naruto didn't linger around for too long, he disappeared in a small burst of speed that caused dust to pick up as he lifted off like a bullet. He flashed just above Lee, right foot swinging towards the taijutsu user's temple.

The speed in which Naruto moved may have caught him by surprise, but Lee was still able to react quickly enough to put up both his hands in defence. Naruto's flying kick slammed into his hands, and to his surprise, there were was a lot more power than he had anticipated. Lee was sent crashing into the wall in blinding speed. There was a loud boom when the genin crashed into the wall with his back.

Naruto landed on the ground and a second later, he took off like a bullet once again. " **Rasengan** ," he charged up the jutsu as he neared Lee – who was plastered across the cracked wall he'd crashed into. Naruto attempted to slam the jutsu straight into the taijutsu user's gut, Lee blurred out of sight. The jutsu slammed into the wall.

Boom!

The jutsu exploded after hitting the wall. This created a hole in the wall, but there was enough dust to cover the two.

Lee suddenly flashed behind Naruto and slammed a right kick into the blond's back. There was another boom was Naruto crashed into the wall with his front. Because the wall was already having a hole on it, he was only able to create a bigger hole after crashing.

When the dust died, the crowd saw Lee standing a couple of feet away from the large hole in the wall, spotting a few bruised and Naruto stepping out of the darkness within the hole.

The crowd burst into a thunderous roar of appreciation. Bets were being made on who was going to come out on top in the match.

"I figured fighting against someone like you would be very challenging," Naruto stated as he walked out of the wall. He stood before Lee, head tilted to the side. "I have never had fun fighting someone. Perhaps because it was always an enemy that I had to dispel or someone I was training."

"I am glad that you're enjoying this," Lee said with a toothy grin. His expression turned slightly serious, "We must continue with this. There are still other matches that must still be fought."

Naruto didn't offer a response; he merely rushed towards the taijutsu user. Lee rushed on towards him as well. When the two got closer, Lee fell backwards, allowing his boy to fall down as he slid down the ground. Naruto jumped into the air to avoid the feet that would have peeled him off the ground.

As he landed a feat away from: Lee got up and twisted around as he lunged towards Naruto in tremendous speed. The green clad genin sent a flying kick towards the back of Naruto's head. The blond ducked under the kick before he spun around to face the taijutsu user.

Lee reacted quicker and threw a punch towards Naruto's face. The blond tilted his head to the side, avoiding the punch. Lee didn't stop there: his left punch drove towards Naruto in blinding speeds. Naruto blocked the punch by raising his right hand around the side of his head.

He picked up his right foot from the ground and sent a mid-section kick towards Lee's waist level. The genin responded by doing the same while jumping back slightly to make some room. The two kicks clashed in mid-air creating a small shockwave.

The two leaned forward slightly, both driving their right punches towards each other's face. The two fists clashed between, coming to a standstill. Lee quickly spun around; he returned to face Naruto with a high kick, aimed at the blond's temple. Naruto reacted by ducking under the kick.

Lee seemed to have anticipated because he twisted his body remarkably as he leaned forward, both his hands held out. He grabbed Naruto by his shoulders with his right foot still in the air. He used the blond as balance to propel himself into the air while Naruto was forced downwards with his face.

The blond twisted around and hit the ground with his back as Lee flew above him. The taijutsu user dragged himself downwards, aiming a brutal punch towards Naruto's chest. The blond inhaled some air with his mouth before releasing it in the form of four wind bullets. The invisible projectiles hit the taijutsu user straight on the chest sending him back above the ground.

Naruto held a single hand seal, " **Wind style: Great wind breakthrough** ," The blond released powerful gusts of wind from his position, sending them straight at Lee. The taijutsu was still recovering the earlier jutsu that had hit him. The gusts of winds slammed into the genin, sending him further into the air.

Naruto stayed on the ground as two clones appeared beside him. The clones suddenly blurred out of sight. They appeared above Lee and both slammed chakra enhanced punches to the back of the green clad genin. Lee was forced into the ground in brutal fashion.

Boom! Was the sound that rocked through the stadium as Lee crashed into the ground with his face. Naruto got up from the ground and stood up. He was starting to feel the effects of this physical battle. He was learning that a physical took more out of him. He could not worry about chakra because he had yet to do anything to even leave a dent on his reserves.

Naruto dispersed his clones and watched as Lee got up from the ground.

Lee winced as he got up from the ground. He was slightly bleeding from his mouth. He had been hurt too badly by that last round of attacks. This was proving to be a more difficult than he had first thought. He could not win this as things were going.

He looked at his sensei – who nodded. Lee took off the weights. The ground shook as the dropped the weights down. The entire stadium silenced when they realized that Lee had been carrying the damn things around him as he moved around.

Naruto frowned slightly: That was a lot more weight than he had anticipated.

Lee suddenly disappeared in a blur, far faster than Naruto could follow and appeared right in front of Naruto. He drove a right punch straight into Naruto's chest before twisting around, and kicking Naruto on the face with a high kick. The blond was sent crashing into the arena's wall.

Naruto grit his teeth as he felt the pain around his body. He could not allow this to go any further than this. He peeled himself off the wall and landed down the ground.

Lee flashed before him once again. Naruto burst into crows. The taijutsu user twisted around, looking around as if he could not see the blond, but in reality Naruto was standing right in front of the genin. He summoned two swords and pumped chakra into his feet. He rushed towards Lee and pushed him towards the wall. The genin slammed into the wall, Naruto didn't wait any before stabbing both swords, sharped with wind straight into Lee's shoulders. The swords pierced through the shoulders, pinning the genin into wall.

Lee snapped out of the genjutsu as pain shot through his body. His eyes widened slightly when Naruto's sword touched his throat, cutting slightly enough to draw out blood.

"Give up," Naruto said calmly. "I don't want to see any more of your hidden cards…"

Lee swallowed slightly. Even though he was in pain and the swords were pinning him on the wall, he could not give up just like that.

While he was deliberating on what to do, Naruto slammed his left palm on his chest, and muttered a few words. Several marks began to spread around the genin. Naruto stabbed the sword on his right hand on the ground and turned away from Lee.

The proctor stepped up, "Winner: Uzumaki N-" He never got to finish as explosions rocked through from outside the stadium.

Naruto froze as he heard the explosions. Just by that, he could tell that the Hidden Leaf was under attack. There was danger around here, and his beloved mother was present as well. The blond spun around with his eyes darting around; he saw several shinobi's appearing from the shadows and Anbu securing the stadiums, the people around falling into a silent sleep.

Naruto disappeared in a flash. He appeared just before his mother and Mikoto. He didn't say anything to them, but just grabbed them and flashed away. The destination was the safest place he could imagine, his house. When they appeared in the house, Naruto's attention wasn't at his mother but at what to do next.

Was he to just hide in here and wait for the storm to disperse? That would represent the best of options but it would have some major consequences for him. This village would not be happy to learn that its Jinchuriki had abandoned it in the time of need. But he could not leave his mother alone here. The fact that she was with Mikoto didn't seem to register inside his head.

"Itachi..?"

It was Kushina's voice that snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. He looked at his mother for a moment and walked towards her – she was standing near the entrance to the kitchen. The S-rank criminal was sitting beside the table, drinking tea as if he was in peace and the village was not under attack.

What was Itachi doing here in her house? Kushina wondered, with a narrowed glance. Why did Naruto and Mikoto not seem surprised to see him? It wasn't that they weren't expecting him, but he was a wanted man in the hidden leaf. Knowing Naruto he should not be allowing the man to be near her fearing the backlash that would come after.

"What are you doing here, Itachi?" Naruto questioned walking over to the Uchiha. Both Mikoto and Kushina slowly followed from behind.

Itachi placed his cup on the table and responded. "The village is under attack from Orochimaru. The Sandaime was certain that you'd come here and so he called me here. Given my status, I can't be seen walking around the village. To answer your question, I am here to protect our parents while you fight for Konoha. That is at least what the Sandaime wants…"

"That sly old man," Naruto said bitterly. "I am beginning to dislike his scheming," the blond said with a frown.

"Naruto," Mikoto said calmly. "You have to return out there."

Naruto turned to face the woman and then he looked at his mother. He didn't want to. Screw what the Sandaime had in mind. Itachi couldn't force him to do anything and if he chose not to fight, he would not. He could just go out there and secure a few things before coming back here.

But that look from Mikoto. It was almost pleading and it twisted a few things inside of him. Naruto had always thought that he could be free from such influence but he was not. "Mother..?"

"Go," Kushina said. "Sasuke is still out there. You have to look out for him." She smiled sadly, "A selfish part of me would rather you not risk yourself, but go, I will be waiting for you here. It will make our lives easier if you do."

Naruto stared at her for a moment before nodding. "I will first secure those close enough," he said before disappearing from the sight.

"The water is still boiling," Itachi said to Kushina. "I'm sure you're looking for explanations," the Uchiha said. He was quite surprised at how calm she had been. Perhaps it was simply because she had been in the presence of Naruto.

"I'd always figured that Naruto was still on contact with you," Kushina said with a sigh. "It was unlikely for Naruto to resent you for what happened. He doesn't care about the village and its villagers. Opinions differ and he sees things differently."

With the Sand Siblings

Kankuro had orders and the orders were to inject his brother with something that would make him lose it so that the Bijuu inside of him could come out, but he didn't wish to follow those orders. He wanted to protect his siblings, not see them take part in this betrayal. Perhaps they would be betraying Suna as well, but it was still much better than fighting a losing battle.

"We have to get out of this village," Kankuro said to his siblings in a hurried tone.

The battles had already started and it was only going to take a few seconds for Baki to come to them and issue the orders that had been assigned by the Kazekage. Sunagakure was part of the invasion that was attacking Konoha right now and Kankuro didn't want to be part of the battle.

"It is about time you explain things, Kankuro," Gaara said firmly, his gaze firmly on his brother – who seemed to shrink slightly under the stare.

He had always known that Kankuro was hiding something, but he never thought that it would be something this big. This was just ridiculous but of course he had to know everything to understand the situation. As it stood, he didn't know anything.

"We don't have much time," Kankuro said quickly. "We have to leave this village, I will explain on the way!"

Before either of his siblings could say anything, Baki appeared before them. "Leave this village. We have been made fools of. Orochimaru was masquerading as your father and provided the recent changes I saw in him, it is safe to say he has been for a while. You have to leave the village now. Konoha will not be merciful even though we have been betrayed ourselves."

He understood that at least with the Kazekage's children they could still look to rebuild Suna. He didn't have much hope for Rasa being alive at this moment. This was why he needed to save this three. He would also have other shinobi Surrender or flee from the village. That would lessen the casualties and after which, he would be able to negotiate on Suna's behalf.

Temari looked horrified, "So let me get this straight; Sunagakure has betrayed Konohagakure even though the villages have been working together for the past years. What was the meaning of my proposed marriage to Naruto?!"

"We don't have time for this, but for what is worth, that is the path your father wanted. He was going to follow along with that agreement as an ally of Konoha," Baki said. "Leave now. I will secure your path out from the village."

"You don't understand," Temari said still horrified. "Naruto will kill us for this. He told me that he would never forgive betrayal and when it comes to his mother, reasoning seems to be thrown out of the window."

"We can worry about that later," Kankuro said, grabbing both his sister and brother. "For now, we leave."

Temari nodded hesitantly. "At least make sure nothing happens to him or his mother…" she said to Baki before they disappeared.

Earlier With Sasuke

The young Uchiha looked around the stadium, seeing that most people had been put to sleep. Even some genins were sleeping but the experienced shinobi were still standing. A massive genjutsu had been placed around the stadium. What was even happening around the village?

He was a lot more concerned about his stopped fight. He had wanted to fight Gaara. He had been training hard for a month; it couldn't have been all just for nothing. The fact that Konoha was under attack, wasn't all that of a problem for him, he was a lot more disappointed by the thought of having his fight held back because of this mess he was seeing.

He knew his mother had been in the stadium but he was not the least worried about her. The moment Naruto vanished from the stadium; he had known for sure that Naruto had taken her away from here along with his mother. The blond held a level of affection towards his mother, and Sasuke couldn't see him leaving out his mother in the face of danger.

"What is going on here, Kakashi-sensei?" For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt content with calling the man his sensei. He had been calling the man sensei simply out of formality but now he meant it because the man had really been a sensei in the past month.

That just made his mood turn a little sour once more. All the training for nothing. It was a damn infuriating reality that he was facing.

"Invasion by Sound and Sunagakure," Kakashi said firmly. "It was supposed to be just the Sound. I don't think even the Sandaime saw this one coming. I mean with all the agreements Suna has with us, didn't think that they would betray us."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at that information. He could not picture Naruto being happy about that. Kushina had been treating the Sand siblings as her own children, and even though Naruto didn't like it, he tolerated his mother behaving all motherly towards them.

If someone he had allowed to get that close to his mother, had betrayed him like this, it would surely cause the blond to go into a rampage. Betrayal was simply blasphemy before Naruto and he didn't forgive it. Sasuke was certain it would be punished by death – a brutal death for that matter.

"Then?"

Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto appeared before them, looking all serious. The Jonin smiled seeing the blond. The Sandaime had insisted that Naruto would join in the fighting. "I have a mission for you, Naruto."

"No doubt from the sly tongue of the Third," Naruto said in a dangerous tone that sent chills both Kakashi and Sasuke. "Why does it seem like Suna is attacking this village? Where is the old man?"

Kakashi had never really seen Naruto angry. The blond was really controlled; he handled his emotions like a trained Ne agent. But he was seeing a dangerous person before him. His expression wasn't indifferent, but actually looking serious.

"Yes it is from him," Kakashi said in a nervous tone. "Suna has betrayed us… I don't know many details but they seem to be working with Orochimaru. You are to send hundreds of clones to help evacuate the villagers to safety. Sasuke, other chunins and genins are fighting around the academy and the hospital. Pick one and go."

Naruto turned away from the Jonin and flashed away. He could understand the reasons for having his clones to the dirty work, but Naruto hated the idea that the Sandaime was controlling his movements. For the first time in his life, the blond just wished for the old man to just die. It would be a lot easier for him to work without him.

He had been preparing for the day the old man disappears so if he disappears with this invasion, it would not be loss. He would not smile, it would sadden him, but it would be for the best. If things continued like this, he would end up seeing the Sandaime as an enemy.

Naruto flashed towards the streets of the village: he could see massive snakes around the walls of the village battling with monstrous toads he assumed to be Jiraiya's summons. If Konoha had reacted this quickly, it meant Itachi had been right, they had known about this. But it had been kept from him.

Still, for Sunagakure to work with Orochimaru, that detestable piece of trash. Did they know?

Naruto halted as small gusts of winds started to pick around him, his eyes flashing red.

Naruto calmed himself before creating a hundred clones and led them to their duties. 'Where is Shukaku's Jinchuriki, Kyubi?'

With the Sandaime Hokage

The Sandaime looked around the village from inside the barrier he was trapped within. With the measurements he took to prepare for this, he was certain that this little invasion would be squashed over soon enough. He wasn't worried about everything. Nothing had yet to go out of his plans.

The old man turned to his wayward student and shook his head. "I have to say my foolish student, you have rather disappointed me. To think that you'd raise your hand against this village even after all it did for you… I think I raised you better than this…"

Orochimaru smiled. "You did raise me better," he admitted. "Well, there was nothing much left of me anyway, but I'm sorry for disappointing you, Sarutobi-sensei," the Sannin added with a smile.

"Ah," The old man sighed. "Your arrogance will be your downfall. I assure you, my dear student, you will not leave this village in one piece. I will make sure of it," the Sandaime stated in a firm tone as he slipped out of his robes, revealing his armour. "I'm guessing you tried to get Rasa to work with you but he refused and in the end you killed him."

Orochimaru nodded. "That is about right," the snake stated with a grin. "I needed Suna's forces and the look on your face when you realized that Sunagakure had 'betrayed' had been something worth seeing."

"It is still a foolish move, Orochimaru, do you really think that you're enough to destroy the hidden leaf?!" The Sandaime shouted in question. "In any case, this has given me the opportunity to correct a few wrongs."

"Kukukukukukukukuku," Orochimaru laughed. "I don't think that will be happening, sensei," the snake with a grin. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Edo Tensei!"

The Sandaime Hokage widened his eyes in realization of the cursed jutsu the Nidaime had created, but it had been sealed away for safekeeping. To think that Orochimaru had even learnt on how to use the jutsu… the old man's look twisted with anger as he stared heatedly at his former student.

"How low have you fallen Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru shrugged, "You haven't seen enough, sensei… for now, let me introduce you to the Shodai and the Nidaime Hokage. I think it is most fitting if I have them restrain you before I kill you myself and then have them destroy the Hidden Leaf…"

Meanwhile

Shikaku couldn't believe that Danzo would move so quickly after everything. There was an invasion occurring within the village and the man had dragged them into the council chambers. He would have uncharacteristically demanded what was happening if the Daimyo had not been present.

Still, Danzo had a load of balls in order to pull this off. It was basically a coupe. They had been dragged away when the invasion started and it was as if the man had planned it all along. No, this had been premeditated. The war hawk could not have thought things like that just after the invasion started. He had planned this.

Shikaku had an idea on how things were going to play out during this meeting and it would not be good. He had a feeling that the Sandaime hadn't foreseen this one coming. Even so, things were moving too quickly.

"What is the meaning of this, Danzo?" Tsume demanded, not being mindful on the Daimyo's presence. She hated being dragged out of her comfort zone and from watching her clan in this kind of time. She would be out there making sure that her children were okay rather than being cooped inside here.

"In case there is an emergency or when the Hokage is unable to take control of the village, Koharu, Homura, Anbu commander, the Jonin commander – Shikaku – and I, take control of the village. This is an emergency and the Hokage is otherwise occupied right now."

Danzo was happy that he had managed to execute his plan flawlessly. Of course he didn't care if the Sandaime lived or not, but he would be happy if he ended up dying. One thing that worked on his favour was that these people do not exactly know what is happening outside these walls. They would rely on him to feed them information.

If they were certain of the situation outside this building, they would have made things much more difficult, but the important thing was that they were clueless. They didn't know that Sunagakure had been tricked by the Orochimaru – who killed the Kazekage and impersonated him. They didn't know anything and he held all the cards.

It wouldn't matter if they realized it later after the meeting. He would have gotten his hands in the Village strings – Konoha would be his and they would be powerless to do anything. Not even that sly Sarutobi would be able to act – well, if he does survive Orochimaru. Danzo thought it was unlikely.

It was a joy when he had this feeling that he was in control of the situation.

"There is really nothing to talk about," Hiashi said. "Plans were made to counter the problem… so I don't see the point of having us to temporarily take control of the village. It isn't like the Sandaime is dead anyway. We don't even know anything happening outside…"

"What is happening outside is that Suna has betrayed us and is fighting along with Orochimaru. Sarutobi was foolish to trust the Kazekage. I am more troubled by the fact that he knew this invasion was going to happen and yet did nothing to stop it. As we speak, he is currently locked in a battle with his former student Orochimaru – who he let go years ago," Danzo said in a firm tone. "It is about time we let his reign to come to an end."

"This is like a coupe," Shikaku muttered under his breath.

"Say what you will," Koharu stated. "But we must do what is best for Konoha and the Daimyo agrees with us. Hiruzen can no longer continue as Hokage and we know that he plans to die along with Orochimaru. We want to come out of this with a Kage who will lead us. It would be disastrous if the other Kages think we have become weak."

"What do you propose then?" Hiashi asked with narrowed eyes.

The Hyuga clan head wasn't against the idea of getting a new Kage. In recent years they have been at odds with the Sandaime Hokage and everyone knew the old man was way past his prime. If he was fighting a powerful shinobi like Orochimaru, he would not come out of it in one piece – if he survives – and that meant he won't be able to lead the village.

The village could not afford to appear weak.

What was most unfortunate was that Sunagakure had betrayed them – even after all the Sandaime did to strengthen the bond between the two villages. He had even been willing to marry off Minato's son to Suna just to strengthen that relationship but because of this, that agreement would have to be torn apart.

"We select a new Kage," The Daimyo stated. "I have liked Hiruzen, but if he allowed this to happen, and I cannot simply let it slide. Konoha heavily reflects on the Fire nation's power. I need someone strong and capable who can lead this village and continue to protect the country."

It was coming to this. Shikaku was outnumbered here. They would put on names and there would be a vote, of course the Fire Lord's vote meant the most. Shikaku really hated this position he was in. "I nominate Jiraiya of the Sannin and Hatake Kakashi."

"You can only nominate one person," Koharu stated. "We have asked Jiraiya to fill in the position but he said no. You know that well that it wouldn't be for the first time that he has refused to become Hokage. Even his sensei could not convince him. Kakashi is still too young and still represents the same naivety that has led for this mistake to occur."

"Who should we place as the Godaime Hokage then?" The Daimyo asked.

"The answer is obvious," Danzo stated firmly. "I should become the next Hokage. I am capable of making the hard decisions that Hiruzen was unable to do."

"Perhaps we should first wait for invasion to end…" Shikaku proposed.

"No!" Danzo slammed his fist into the table. "We can put in into a vote and the Daimyo can make it official…" he paused, smiling ghostly. "If it eases your worry, we can make the decision just in case, but if Sarutobi is still alive; he can be given the chance to name his successor – that is his right as the Hokage after all."

 **A lot is surely going to happen in the next chapters with Danzo having made his move. I'm sure no one actually expected something like that to happen.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Naruto had been rushing through the forest for a few minutes, with his body covered with the Kyubi's chakra and a single tail visible behind him. He was using the power of the Bijuu to sense Shukaku's location. The Bijuu within him had said that he could just do it himself by using the chakra. Of course Naruto hadn't questioned the Bijuu on the idea; he had simply been too focused on getting those traitors.

When he finally caught up to the Sand siblings, the blond crashed landed into the ground and the chakra that had been around him dispersed. He looked at the three with a dangerous look as he took out his sword, and immediately sharpened it with wind chakra.

Kurama was truly impressed with Naruto – not that he was infuriated at Suna's betrayal and or that he was ready to take on three genins on his own, who were surely powerful. But it was the fact that despite his anger, he hadn't allowed his chakra to influence him. Kurama had suggested he use his chakra because he was sure the hatred coupled with the blond's anger would force the blond to draw out more chakra and possibly give him some freedom, but there had been nothing.

The blond remained 'pure' in his anger.

'I'm truly impressed that you can control yourself in this state. Even the kindest person would have been influenced by my chakra, but you have held firm,' Kurama said to his host. 'How you control your anger is remarkable for a human.'

"Do not compare me to the humans you have dealt with, Kyubi,' Naruto responded in a calm tone. "My anger is too much for this world. If I do not contain it, this land around me would change its form and it would not stop destroying until there is nothing left in me…" The blond was speaking through his mouth that the Sand siblings heard him.

"Naruto," Temari was the first to speak. She looked a bit fearful, but she braced herself to speak once more. "Please let us explain what happened…" she begged.

"There is nothing to explain," Naruto responded in a dangerous tone.

"We will not fight you Naruto!"

"That is fine by me," Naruto said taking a few steps towards the Sand siblings. He suddenly disappeared from his position and flashed in front of Temari. As he raised his right foot, the blonde didn't attempt to dodge, she merely stood still. Kankuro didn't have time to defend his sister with his puppet, and instead, jumped in front of her, and took the kick that slammed into his left shoulder.

"Maybe you guys don't want to fight, but I can't just watch you being attacked for no reason at all," Kankuro said through gritted teeth. He tried to unwrap his puppet, but Gaara grabbed his right hand.

"Stop it," Gaara stated in a firm tone. It was one of those no nonsense tone. "Naruto, at least give us a chance to explain. You can do whatever you want thereafter, but no matter what, we wish you no harm and we will not fight back."

He understood that the blond was angry, but they didn't know anything. Perhaps Sunagakure as at fault for allowing itself to being deceived by Orochimaru, but they could not be blamed for something they didn't know about. They had not betrayed Naruto, and he wanted to get that message through.

Naruto had seemed like someone who could be reasoned with before.

Naruto tilted his head to the side – he was still for a second with Gaara still holding Kankuro's hand. In a split second, Naruto stabbed his sword through Kankuro's right shoulder. The sword pierced through, causing the genin to yelp in pain while cursing Naruto.

"Why do you not wish to fight? Why is there that look on your eyes that doesn't spell regret? When people do things like this, they either show remorse or are just cold about it, but I have known you two, you're not cold hearted. Why?"

"That is because they didn't know anything!" Kankuro shouted, holding his bleeding shoulder. "I knew, but they didn't know anything. They were not told because they knew that they would tell you about it. We were also betrayed. I think at this point, it is safe to say that Orochimaru has been impersonating as our father, and was the one to make this decision. He probably had to do that because our father refused to offer him help."

Naruto stood still for a moment before sheathing his blade. It would explain why Temari had been saying that her father hadn't been himself lately. It was something reasonable. "I should kill you because you knew about it," Naruto stated calmly. "But at this moment, I want to shred Orochimaru into little pieces of snakes with my own hands and feed the snakes to my..."

The blond trailed off as he sensed four chakra signatures surrounding them. Knowing that they were noticed, the four Ne agents flashed into the clearing. "You are all to come with us under the order of the Godaime Hokage, Shimura Danzo. The three of you are wanted for Suna's betrayal and you are needed as Konoha's Jinchuriki."

"Conniving pieces of shit," it was definitely the first time that the three Sand siblings had heard Naruto curse; perhaps that was really a first. He wasn't in a good mood now. The saying that Danzo was Hokage was just dangerous.

This wasn't something that Naruto wanted and not something that would make his life easy. A dangerous animal as Danzo would only seek to destroy him and his mother. The cripple would only wish to control him and the power of the Kyubi. Naruto could not allow for that to happen. He would not stand for it.

For now, there was a question, what to do? Should he just disappear from this place and rush off to his mother? If she wasn't in a safe place there wouldn't have been a question about it – she was safe, so he could afford these other thoughts.

If he just left, the snakes breathing his air would go after the Sand siblings. At this stage, Naruto couldn't say he cared. He wouldn't be troubled if they died – they no longer served a purpose, especially now that Danzo had become Hokage and Suna had betrayed Konoha. Anything that had been worked on with the Sandaime would be torn apart.

Well, he was feeling a little high, he could release some stress by tearing through those Root shinobi before rushing back to Konoha. His mother would be safe and he could work out on what had to be done.

Naruto turned to the Sand siblings with the expression on his face looking indifferent. He spoke in a slightly cold tone. "If it is true that Danzo has managed a coupe, you will be in trouble. My mother would be saddened if anything happens to you. Escape now, I will smite the vermin," the blond said as he turned to face the vermin.

Gaara nodded. He was sure that these people would not simply allow them to escape from this place without putting up a fight. They were the children of the Kazekage and were valuable political tools. These masked men wanted to get them to Konoha so that they could be used to make Suna bow to the demands of Konoha. He would have to creative if he was going to escape from this place.

Still, even if they escape today, what would happen if Konoha decides to march towards their home Village in order to make them surrender or even take over their village? Gaara would have to fight. He could not abandon Suna to say that he wanted to become stronger, and he could not allow his sister or brother to become slaves of Konoha.

His beloved sister would be hit the most. He was a Wind user, and a female. Konoha didn't have that many great Wind users; they would use her to breed wind users. The thought sickened Gaara, but at this stage, he could not do anything.

He would have to negotiate with Naruto. From how things appear, the blond was also facing a wall. If he was going to fight Konoha shinobi even though he was a Konoha shinobi himself, it meant that there was trouble. Those people wanted to use force and Naruto wasn't going with it. It was possible that the blond had the thought of killing them all.

"You have my thanks, Naruto," Gaara said humbly. "I hope we will talk soon. Suna will be forced to surrender as it cannot match Konoha in might, but that isn't a path that will dwell well with me. If this is the kind of people we will be surrendering to, the future looks bleak. I would rather surrender to you."

Having said that, Gaara grabbed his siblings and then exploded into a tornado of sand before drilling into the ground. A second later, there was no trace of his presence or for his siblings.

"Should we go after them?" One of the Ne agents asked.

One shook his head. "No, we know they are heading for Sunagakure. We can get them at any time. For now, let us focus on this one…"

Gaara would be more than willing to surrender Sunagakure to him? Naruto liked that idea. It worked as some of sort of a reprieve if he could get hold of the Sand. His mother has said she liked the village and it could become a home if all else failed.

"How did Danzo even become Hokage? A few minutes ago, the Sandaime was still in charge," Naruto said in question, looking at no one in particular. "Does this mean that the invasion is over? But if it is indeed true that Danzo has become Hokage then he had planned for this to happen at this time."

How did it manage to skip through the Sandaime? Was the old man still alive or dead? At this stage, Naruto didn't know how he would feel about it if the old man was indeed dead. But if he was dead it meant that Orochimaru was alive. He needed to get rid of that snake in the near future.

It still didn't please him that the invasion had been kept a secret from him. These people had withheld the information from because they thought he would run away from the village at the thought of Konoha invasion. They really did consider him a flight risk; well that was actually the truth.

"There is no reason we have to tell you this," one of the agents said tonelessly. "Now are we going to do it the easy way or the hard way?"

"Killing you will complicate things," Naruto said calmly. "But I want to and I will. There are no witnesses and if questioned, I can simply that you were killed by the Sand siblings. You'll be dead to refute those claims," the blond dropped in his front, hitting the ground with both his hands and stood like a four-legged animal.

The malicious chakra began to pour out, covering his body in crimson glory. As the malice spread through the trees, the Root shinobi held firm, not allowing themselves to be intimidated by the powerful chakra. They had gone through simulations on how to handle a Jinchuriki and they were confident – there was no reason to panic.

Two chakra tails formed behind Naruto and begun to swing in a dangerous way before the blond disappeared in a blur.

 **Konohagakure**

Jiraiya frowned as he looked at the unfolding situation around the village. He could understand what was going on – Danzo was making his move. About a hundred of nameless masked men belonging to Root had suddenly appeared out of nowhere the moment the Sandaime was confirmed to have been killed. They went on about killing everyone considered an enemy of Konoha – even some of the Suna shinobi who had surrendered.

It left a bitter taste in Jiraiya's mouth to see something like that happening. There was no need to kill shinobi who had surrendered, but Danzo had supposedly ordered his men to kill everyone who was an enemy. It was being probably done to weaken the enemies in case the man has something planned up.

But why would Danzo be making a move now? Were where the Root Anbu all this time they were fighting? If they had been involved from the get go, things would have ended in a quickie and there would have been fewer casualties. The Sannin really didn't know what to do about now.

While the Sannin was standing atop of the academy just beside the Sandaime's corpse, an Anbu dropped beside him. "Danzo has mustered a coupe and has taken the Hokage's office with the Daimyo's approval. Hiashi and Shikaku were present by neither were able to stop it – it occurred while the invasion was in motion."

Jiraiya frowned deeply at hearing that. "Who do you work for?"

"Sandaime Hokage," the Anbu reported. "He knew that Danzo had been planning to turn the village against Naruto by saying that he was working with Sunagakure as to try to get revenge over how he was treated. The Sandaime had Naruto help the villagers evacuate to help counter this."

If Danzo was able to get the villagers to hate Naruto, he would have had the opportunity to get Naruto into the dark side. He would surely try to brainwash the blond into working in the shadows to protect Konoha as its weapon – that was the dream after all. Jiraiya would never allow something like that to happen. He doubted he would even get the chance to say no to it though – Naruto would say it for himself.

The Anbu continued speaking, "In case Danzo becomes Hokage; I was told to inform you that you should try by all means to bring Tsunade back to the village. Naruto may escape Konoha; you're to assist him that way you will keep contact with him if he does escape."

"If Naruto leaves Konoha, he won't come back," Jiraiya said firmly. It was going to happen and Naruto would be hunted down by Konoha and all of Danzo's allies. There was really nothing keeping the blond in this village and if his mother was willing to leave with him, it would be all over.

"Naruto will return to Konoha – for Mikoto. He will leave the village with Uchiha Sasuke. Unfortunately, the Sandaime doesn't know what will happen thereafter." The Anbu said.

Jiraiya was certain that if he doesn't offer Naruto help on a safe place, he would not be able to know what the blond would be thinking and doing. Naruto would surely just disappear from the face of this world and pop up in the future years. Perhaps by then it would be too late to change things. He needed to get in the blond's head now before anything happens.

Sasuke would have to return to this village because his clan was still here and he could not abandon his mother just as his mother could not abandon her clan. She would be forced to stay behind. Once Sasuke has become strong enough, he will return for his clan and for Konoha – that was easy to make out, but Naruto's route was a little tricky.

Jiraiya looked down at his sensei; with everything happening around and within his head, he really could not grieve. Well, time would come, but really he was sad. His sensei had planned on dying here. But by dying here, he had left quite the mess behind and things could go either way since he didn't have a handle on things.

He should have done something about the Daimyo when he learned that the Fire Lord was in the village. He had probably come here on Danzo's request. Jiraiya didn't put it past the war hawk to have manipulated him to get what he wanted. The fact that the cripple had Feudal Lord's approval meant that he couldn't do much about Danzo's grab at the Hokage mantle.

Things have really just become complicated… a lot more troublesome…

"Danzo has already become Hokage, bringing Tsunade here won't change anything," Jiraiya said with a bitter frown. He didn't even know if the woman would be willing to return to Konoha. He had tried that before, and nothing had worked. What would be the difference now?

"Danzo's occupation is only temporary," The Anbu stated in a firm tone. "The Sandaime knew he was going to die, you should know that as well. Since he didn't know how Danzo would react, he drafted his will and named his successor. If you manage to bring Tsunade back into the village, she will be the rightful Kage. I have his will in my possession and until your former teammate returns, I will keep it that way."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. For someone who had spent the last days scheming and plotting things, it would have been a surprise if the old man hadn't planned for Konoha even after his death. Still. There was a problem. Danzo had already taken the seat; he would not relinquish it that easily.

The Anbu disappeared before Jiraiya could say anything.

The Sannin knelt down and stared at the content look his sensei had on his face – he must have died having done something to Orochimaru that made him a happy person. He could not figure what – he had been focused on Orochimaru's summons and handling other nuisances.

"Is it true?" Kakashi asked appearing before the Toad Sage. He didn't say anything for a moment as he stared at the Sandaime with a sad look on his face. This was going to be a sad day for Konoha and it was going to be compounded by what he had just heard from some Anbu.

Jiraiya didn't respond to the question. He took out a sealing scroll and sealed the Sandaime's body. Preparations for the memorial would have to be started today so that by Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, they hold the funeral. Konoha would surely be sad. The village held some love for the old man and it had really become difficult to speak of the Hokage without speaking about the Sandaime.

He had held the position for quite a number of years and despite his old age, he had commanded respect. Konoha had truly lost something. Honestly, Jiraiya was sad. He may have had some troubles with his sensei, but through and through, they had stuck with each other and the old man had always been there. He wasn't perfect, but he did try to be a good person.

It was going to be surely sad from now on. No Minato, no Hiruzen… who did he have left? Naruto didn't really care about him and he couldn't say they really close. He did care for the blond – that should at least count as something. He would have to reform those bonds with Tsunade or else he would go insane.

"Yes," Jiraiya finally said in a quiet and slow tone. "It is indeed true Kakashi," the man straightened himself and put on a serious look on his face. "We have to take more serious measures now or else this village will be turned into something neither of us likes by that man."

Kakashi didn't look happy at all. He knew what Danzo was all about. To many he was just an old man who loved Konoha and has been in involved in the Village's leadership for quite some time, but the Jonin knew the man was a freak in the dark. He could play the part of a good person, many believed it, but he was the devil walking by a cane.

"Isn't there something we can do?" Kakashi was really not willing to serve under the war hawk. He had known for a long time that the man had wished to be Hokage – he had at one time been given the job to kill the Sandaime by the cripple after all. That really complicated things as he didn't know where he now stood with the current Hokage.

"He went through proper channels with those important clan heads and the Daimyo. It was more like a coupe really," Jiraiya said through gritted teeth. "No doubt he has his support and if we try that, it will lead to a civil war. The village is still burning with the invasion, taking it through a civil war will only destroy it and it will open a window of opportunity for other villages to attack."

Kakashi frowned. "So he made this move knowing that rebelling would be unlikely," the Jonin said. "What then? Are we going to allow him?"

"For now," Jiraiya said with a nod. "Sensei made a plan. I just have to make sure that it works, no matter what. I have to get Tsunade because if I don't get her, Danzo will be permanent."

"Have you seen Naruto?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "If you want to look for him now, you have to go to his house. Not even Danzo can get through the security there."

Before Kakashi could respond, a white masked Anbu flashed before the two. "Jiraiya-sama, Hatake Kakashi, you both summoned to the Hokage's office, now," the Anbu said before disappearing.

 **Hokage Office**

"Good, I don't have to use force to get things done," Danzo said as both Kakashi and Jiraiya appeared in the office he now occupied. "I understand you two must be going through some things, but Konoha must come first."

"Don't make yourself too comfortable," Jiraiya said flatly to the cripple. He wasn't going to reveal anything. It would set the man to work out a way to counter the Third's plan. "What do you want from us? There are things that have to be dealt with."

Really, the villagers had yet to be taken out of the evacuation chambers. The invasion might be over, and battles may have already stopped, but there were things that needed to be handled. Calm had to be restored and now doubt the news about the Sandaime's death was surely making rounds around the village and soon enough, the mood around would be a bit gloomy.

The Sannin wasn't really going to be taking orders from Danzo. He would do as he pleases and Danzo could not force him to do anything. He was still a Sannin and would not bow simply because of threats from the man.

Besides, this was only for a short while. He would get Tsunade back, even if he had to use force. There was no other way to handle things at the moment.

"Don't concern yourself about things outside," Danzo stated calmly. "My men are already ushering the villagers towards this tower. They will be gathered here along with everyone so that I can make an announcement and tell them of Hiruzen's death. Hiashi, Shikaku and Koharu will offer words of comfort and I will strengthen the villagers will.

"Jiraiya, you are to leave this village now and fetch Tsunade. She has enjoyed her time enough. She is needed back in the village and Kakashi; you will no longer lead Team 7 but will be drafted back to Anbu. Your duties will begin in an hour: you're to take up a squad and head out to the outskirts of the village and be on the lookout for three nights. You will return thereafter…"

The man seemed to have things planned out. You wouldn't say he had taken the office not more than an hour ago but yet he had all the plans. Well, he had been planning on becoming Hokage for about a lifetime now. One couldn't fault him for being a little excited.

"I will leave after the Sandaime's funeral," Jiraiya said calmly. He wasn't going to leave Konoha just like that. He was sure Danzo just wanted him out so that he could wave his hand without him interrupting his plans. He wasn't about to allow the man to do whatever he pleases. He wanted him and Kakashi out because they held some influence within the shinobi population and without them, the man could have a smooth sailing.

On the bright side of things, Danzo didn't know that bringing back Tsunade would be his downfall. He could smile knowing that, but that would have to wait for now. He needed to make sure that Danzo does not make himself comfortable in 'Tsunade's' seat.

"Are you refusing an order from your Hokage, Jiraiya?" Danzo questioned with narrowed eyes. He hadn't expected it to be so easy. Controlling Jiraiya was out of the question even. The man wasn't a child and the only reason he was still standing here was because of his loyalty to Konoha.

"Yes, I am," Jiraiya responded calmly.

"I figured you'd say something like that," the war hawk said. "It's fine, but as you wait to get things done with Hiruzen's funeral, my men will be searching for Tsunade. I know where she is and know that they will be using any means necessary to get her back to the village. I don't need her legs, but her hands and mind."

Jiraiya snorted at the thinly veiled threat. "Try that and it is your men who will be returning without their legs, well, that is if they do manage to escape with their lives intact. Despite everything, Tsunade is still a Sannin," the Toad Sage said, not worried the least for his former teammate. She could handle herself. Really there was no need to worry about her.

"I have not forgotten," Danzo said emotionlessly. "Kakashi, get ready to leave in an hour… if you choose not to follow my instructions, you will be charged with insubordination…" he didn't need pieces that wouldn't work for him. He would rather the Jonin die than be working against him.

Kakashi swallowed slightly and nodded like an obedient soldier. He didn't have any doubt that the man just wanted him out of the village, but there was really nothing he could do about it. "Hai," the Jonin said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Danzo looked at Jiraiya – who was staring at him calculatedly. "Is there anything you want, Jiraiya?" The war hawk asked quietly. "There is a lot that I must fix. Sarutobi left quite the mess and I must deal with it all. If you don't mind, get to your point so that I can do my work."

It hadn't been even hours and the war hawk was already planning on replacing everything that his sensei had done over the years. Danzo was going to undo all the work the Third had done. It sickened Jiraiya at how things were moving. This was still a sensitive time. When where they going to grieve with this man looking over their shoulders and starting to screw up everything?

He needed to get Tsunade quickly or things Danzo would ruin everything.

"What do you plan on doing with Naruto?" The Toad Sage questioned in a serious tone.

Danzo didn't bother responding to the question – it was a stupid question and Jiraiya should have the answer. It wasn't even hard to guess how the Sannin would react to it, but he was the Hokage of Konoha and he would do what he wanted. If Jiraiya was going to try to stand in the way, he would have to be removed.

The war hawk had plans to make sure that happen if things got difficult. He could tolerate Jiraiya because he didn't underestimate the man's power and he knew how useful he was and would be for Konoha – if things go in the right way anyway. If not, the Sage would be a problem that would need to be solved.

"Do you even need to ask that question, Jiraiya?" The war hawk questioned, staring straight at the Sannin. He wasn't going to hide his motives now – Not when he had become Hokage. There was nothing that Jiraiya could do. He had Konoha's might in his hands. It was only a few who shared the same opinion about him as Jiraiya and Kakashi and that worked well for him as he wouldn't face much opposition from the shinobi forces.

"Naruto is a shinobi of this village and will be utilized for this village's safety and prosperity in mind," Danzo added in a flat tone. "It doesn't matter what anyone thinks. I will admit things have to be handled with care as Naruto is a flight risk… not even you can deny that…" the 'cripple' paused for a moment. "I am giving you this task of bringing Naruto to me so that I can talk to him, with you present of course."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. He could not understand what Danzo was trying to play at, but it was obvious that Naruto would not agree to anything the man would suggest. Even he could not sway the blond on thinking otherwise. Danzo would try to use force to get Naruto to do his will but that would not succeed.

Would Danzo try to take Naruto by force in his presence? If that happened, he would be forced to intervene but Danzo could point that as a betrayal and would try to get him in the bad side of the Hidden Leaf. Jiraiya didn't want to be a menace to Konoha but he would not pick Danzo's Konoha over Naruto.

If he did that, he would no longer be Jiraiya the Toad Sage.

"When do you want him?"

"In an hour," Danzo said. "I have a few things to do before that. There is quite a mess in this village and calm needs to be restored. I must also deal with Sunagakure for its betrayal…"

"Isn't that something that the Council should decide?"

It wasn't visible but Jiraiya was sure Danzo had shrugged carelessly. "There is no council. I am the Hokage and I will decide the best way forward for this village as its leader. The council will be called when needed but it will not help me to run this village. I have my vision and they do not share it, neither do you."

Jiraiya did not say a word; he merely vanished from the office.

Once Jiraiya was out of the office, Danzo snapped his fingers and two white masked nins appeared out of nowhere. "Go fetch Baki," he ordered one of them before turning his attention to the other one. "Have you found any success in trying to bridge the barrier around Minato's house?"

The Root shinobi shook his head slowly. "No, Danzo-sama," he said. "But Naruto isn't anywhere in the village, so it is safe to say that he is inside that house. Trying to use force to destroy the barrier would likely cause panic around the village, so at this point, we have no way forward."

Danzo nodded, not the least surprised, but feeling some resentment towards Minato for being able to get one over him even when dead. "That is fine. Perhaps we should have destroyed it while the invasion was still occurring. In any case, I have assigned Jiraiya to bring him here. With Jiraiya, he won't refuse to come."

A couple of Minutes Later

Shikaku let loose of a long breath as he weighed things calmly. It was a different turn that was troubling but there had to be a way around things. Danzo could not be allowed to take that position permanently. This village would become hell if things were allowed to continue as they were. He desired for a peaceful tomorrow and what Danzo would bring would be nothing but chaos and pain.

"Jiraiya-sama," Shikaku said as the man appeared before him. He hadn't even looked back to see the man but had sensed him. Perhaps this was one of those moments when a shinobi's senses awoke fully in order to deal with the mess around. "I figured you'd make an appearance before me…"

Not unexpected. This was the Nara head after all. "Sensei made a plan… but it might take some time to materialize. You're in a strong position as a Jonin commander and know Danzo well enough. Can you make sure that Danzo doesn't do anything drastic while I go out to try to enact the Third's plan?"

The Nara head appeared to think deep for a few moments before responding. "Tsunade…" he said quietly. "Did the Third name her as his successor? If so, things will work out perfectly then… Danzo's allowance to become Hokage was to stand if the Sandaime didn't name a successor. That was agreed by the others.

"It is going to be troublesome, but I will do my best. I know that we cannot have a safe future with our lives in Danzo's hands…" the man paused for a moment. "I suggest you leave soon. We can mourn the Sandaime later, this isn't a time we can let our guard down or Danzo will strike us down."

Jiraiya frowned. He hadn't planned on doing something like that, but this was the best option for Konoha, not for him.

Naruto's House

Itachi had never seen Naruto looked slightly pissed off and panicked before. He wasn't mad at the moment, but he sure as hell wasn't happy and he really did look worried. Perhaps what was happening around the village worried him. Even he was worried.

"I thought I would be a little sad knowing that the Sandaime is dead, but at the moment I don't feel anything. It is strange… perhaps it is the range of emotions flowing inside of my head," Naruto said to Itachi.

Sasuke looked surprised that Naruto could say that he was feeling some mixed emotions. Perhaps his mother was right, Naruto was a person – he does have emotions. Still, given the look on his face and body language, you'd never guess he was going through some troubling thoughts. The blond rarely looked troubled by anything.

The younger Uchiha decided against commenting. He was sure if he said something stupid, Naruto would kick him out of the room and Itachi would not object. To stay in the conversation and know what is being planned and said, he would need to keep his mouth shut and just listen.

"What did you hear outside?" It had to be something big that was making the blond worried. Itachi could tell that Naruto was worried about something even though his expression didn't show much of it.

"Danzo has become Hokage," Naruto said, suddenly sounding calm. "The first thought was dragging my mother and leave this village… but that man will chase after us. I cannot afford to have my mother living on the run with me. Besides, it would be a little sad if I were to leave your mother in this village ruled by that thing."

Mikoto smiled as she walked into the small room, "I feel so happy that you care that much about me," the Uchiha said. "I know you want to talk a few things out, but Jiraiya is in the kitchen with your mother and he says Danzo wants to see you."

Naruto looked massively displeased. "Itachi, we will most likely do a massacre later on…" the blond said as he walked away from the room.

Mikoto frowned hearing those words from Naruto. She knew what he meant by that. She understood that Danzo was going to try to force Naruto to become a weapon and Kushina would not want that. Naruto wouldn't even want to stay in this village ruled by Danzo. For Naruto to stay, Danzo had to disappear and the only that was going to happen was through killing him.

Mikoto stared at her son for a long minute after Naruto had disappeared. He was going to see Danzo and from what he had just said and knowing the war hawk, the blond would not be in a happy mood when he does return. He was going to possibly look for Danzo's head and he would do it even if Itachi doesn't help it.

If his power alone was not enough, the Kyubi would breathe again. The Uchiha knew Naruto well enough to know that he did not joke when it came to his mother. He was also certainly in a good mood following Suna's betrayal.

Perhaps what made things a little better was that even he was being rational enough to understand the situation. Rasa had not betrayed his or his mother's trust. The fact that Orochimaru killed him was proof enough. If he had indeed betrayed them, he would have lived to fight during the invasion.

"Danzo being Hokage isn't the most desirable thing," Mikoto said with a slight frown. "His presence changes everything. We cannot live as we want with him in that office and really, despite everything, I fear for Konoha's future with him leading it."

"Not in the sense that he will actually allow the village to be toppled," Itachi said in response to his mother's worries – Mikoto nodded in agreement. "Danzo will always have a dark streak about him. I am sure that he will not waste the time to attack any village he deems to be a threat to his Konoha. If it means fighting the entire Elemental Nations, he will bring Konoha to war to achieve his goals."

Mikoto didn't want that. It would just bring the village to fight endless battles. There would be a lot of blood being shed and she did not want to see that. The Uchiha wanted to enjoy her life. If things came to blow, no life was guaranteed. She could not say she would live to see Naruto become a man.

It would be a massive disappointment if that does happen. She was riding all her hopes in that happening. Naruto had to develop, for her and not for anyone. She would claim him as hers and nothing would stop it. Well, as long as she was alive to make that happen.

Focusing on Itachi once more Mikoto nodded. "It isn't something that I saw happening. I don't think you did too," she said taking her eyes towards little Sasuke. The young black haired was staring between the two adults, listening attentively. She smiled, Naruto was training him well. A little while ago, he would have been asking too many questions and exploding over things he didn't even understand.

"His tomorrow will not be a happy one with Danzo in charge. More than anything, Itachi, I want to protect him; I want him to enjoy a good life you never got to enjoy. Konoha will be divided and it will be forced to experience dark memories that may never be erased in our history," Mikoto added in a quiet tone.

Nothing was going to be safe. It was just wrong to allow a person like Danzo to rule Konoha. He was going to openly do his dark activities now as there would be no one to stop him and he will no doubt plan to control other nations. He could not allow that to happen. Such an action would not lead to peace, but to just more resentment towards Konoha.

"What do you suggest, mother?" Itachi asked. Leaving Konoha was out of their question. The clan was here. This village was their clan's home.

"When Naruto returns from the meeting with Danzo, he will be talking about killing the man," Mikoto said. "For him, living in this village will be impossible with Danzo at the helm. It is either he leaves or he gets rid of the thing that makes things difficult for him."

Sasuke found the appropriate moment to respond since coming into the small room. "The best option will be to get rid of the Hokage. I have seen how he behaves. Naruto doesn't keep anything around him that is a nuisance or doesn't help him in anything. If something is useless he discards it without a second thought.

He was willing to discard Ino because she had become useless… she was his childhood friend. From what I hear, the Hokage is a massive threat, and the only way Naruto deal with that is through taking his sword out."

Itachi looked at his younger brother for a moment before responding. "You have gotten a good grasp of how Naruto behaves…"

Sasuke shrugged. "He isn't that hard to figure out. He is somewhat simple, but that doesn't mean he is easy to deal with," the younger Uchiha said a bit carelessly.

"As simple as he can be, understanding him is a different matter altogether. Not everyone can understand him and only those who can understand him will be able to live in the same wavelength as him," the eldest of Mikoto's children said in a calm tone. "Nevertheless, I am happy that you're able to understand bits about his character. You have a long journey with him and if possible, I don't want anything separating you from him."

Sasuke stared at his brother for a long minute. In just a couple of conversations with the man, Sasuke had come to realize that Itachi was never going to speak ill about Naruto. If anything, the Uchiha seems to have nothing but praises for the blond. It made him curious. Why was it like that? Naruto did not win any personality awards. He wasn't that much of a great person in Sasuke's eyes.

"What do you rate him so highly?"

"Perhaps it is because that I have known him for a long time," Itachi said. "Despite everything, Naruto is a good person and he knows more than anyone what a good person should do. I believe that if it wasn't because of his unfortunate situation, he would have turned into a great person who would be loved all over as his father was loved.

"He hates evil, and yet he himself has no problem in committing evil and he won't even stop evil even though he dislikes it – as long as it doesn't influence his life. Contradictions, yes, But no one is perfect in this world. Naruto may have many flaws as a person, but if he was to rule this world, he would make this world the ideal world for peace-lovers."

Sasuke tilted his head to the side. He did not fully understand what his brother was really trying to say, but he got the wind of it.

 **Hokage office**

It was almost amusing to see looking so contemplative as he stared at Naruto. The blond before him was just a brat but it was apparent that the war hawk was thinking hard to get things done. Perhaps he knew that Naruto could just disappear from this place within a second and given what he carried, any village would be open to welcoming him.

Kumo would even give him the VIP treatment. The blond had the Kyubi in him and could also use the Thunder God technique, if that didn't make him a valuable asset then Jiraiya didn't know what would. For Naruto it wasn't just the power but the mind as well. The blond was sharp. The Sandaime worked overtime just to make sure that he stayed on top.

His sensei had admitted that if Naruto had been a little older and much more experienced, their games would have played out differently.

Still, how was Naruto going to play this? The blond was very careful and he made calculated moves rather than reckless movements. There was always a plan – just like with his sensei. Well, the old man had been called the professor. It wasn't for nothing.

"You failed in your pursuit of the Sand siblings," Danzo said – his first words since Naruto appeared in the office with Jiraiya. "Given your personality, I'd banked on that you'd kill all three of them for the betrayal."

Naruto stared for a few moments. He really didn't want to be here. There were so many things that he needed to do. His tomorrow was in a sinking boat at the moment – or at least that is how it looked with Danzo sitting behind that desk. It would not be for long, but the present spelled that outcome and it left a sour taste in his mouth.

The fact that Danzo was wearing the mask of the Hokage didn't mean that he was going to change his approach towards war hawk. Nothing had changed. He still didn't like him and would not be bowing now, and not ever.

"That is your interpretation on the matter," Naruto responded indifferently. "I did not fail. To say I have failed would be making the assumption that I was given a mission to kill them. If that so, then you can say so. Nevertheless, what of it, what if I have?"

Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. There was nothing in the child's tone or expression that he could read. The blond's emotions were locked away. How should he handle things then? Naruto had one weakness and that was his mother. If he needed to get the blond under control, he needed to get him through his mother. It didn't require any complex schemes that would require extensive work and maintenance.

"There is nothing of it," Danzo said with a slight shrug. "But it is good that they are still alive. This way, I can use them to get hold of Suna. I do not wish to completely destroy it. Speaking of which, your planned marriage will still go ahead. I have spoken to Baki, and Temari will soon be living with you as your wife."

It didn't matter if he was talking to just a kid. He had what he had in mind and would go through it. Of course Suna didn't have to agree to it. They would be forced. It was either they agreed to it, or he would just do it by force as well as punish them for it. Talking was much simpler for both sides and he was going to run away with it.

Jiraiya thought of furiously interjecting but he held himself well. Danzo wasn't going to be Hokage forever. Once he got Tsunade, he would remove the man from his seat. And besides, this was Naruto the man was talking to. The blond would have a measured response, not a childish outburst.

"Nothing new," Naruto said with a shrug. Of course with Suna's betrayal, things could never be the same. He might not have killed them, but things would never return to the way they were. Perhaps over time he would get around the idea, but Kankuro had known and he would never be forgiven.

Never…

The Sandaime had also known about the invasion but kept it away from him on purpose. Naruto didn't want to think much about that because it would make him think some nasty things about the old man. For now, it was best to just leave the dead, dead.

"Yes," Danzo said with a nod. "You will not run from Konoha. If you do, I will hunt you down until I find you. And you must remember that you can't always be everywhere at any time. You're just human, you're not omnipresent. There are things that will happen and you'll never be able stop them. To avoid that, you will do as you're told."

Danzo had just threatened his mother without uttering the specific words. A stupid person would not notice the threat but Naruto had played the game for far too long along with the Sandaime Hokage to miss a glaring threat like that, and one that was directed towards his mother.

Naruto did not forgive anyone who threatened his beloved mother. You could curse him and spit on him, but no one threatened his mother. It was unforgivable, blasphemy.

A little while ago, Naruto would have exploded, but he held himself well, although his jaws clenched. His eyes also sharpened a bit. He was a different person altogether when he responded. "I see," Naruto said as if he was thinking hard. "What else?"

"I will take over your training from tomorrow. You don't use the Kyubi's power in the way that I wish. We have to change that. You will become Konoha's weapon. After I am done with you, you will be able to protect everything that you value and hold dear," Danzo said firmly.

Naruto did something he rarely does – he snorted disdainfully. "Go home and work on your play book, Danzo. Do you think I am stupid? You just said that I could not protect everything because I was human and now you say that once you are done with me I will be able to protect everything. The Sandaime never made such contradictions that made him look foolish."

If that wasn't enough, Naruto shook his head in disappointment.

Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at this. It was damn amusing. No one really spoke like Danzo like this. Even he had never been in a position to give a response like that. Naruto was something else. Perhaps he was used to just playing the game with the Third.

The old man could have been called weak, and lacking in terms of courage, but when it came to using his mind to get things done, he had a way. Jiraiya could say that his sensei had been much shrewder than Danzo. It was almost like the brat was exposing the man for being a fraud.

"I will let that slide today," Danzo said after a few moments of silence and reflection. "But I will not allow you to talk to me like that again. I am the Hokage, and you will speak to me as such. You will not disrespect me."

"Or what? I'm at a position where I understand that I am very much valuable. I have no qualms in doing your kind of missions and I have the Hiraishin as well as the Kyubi in my disposal. Lose me, you lose both. Maybe you can say that you will get the Kyubi, but I'd find that amusing. If I die, the Biju goes on a rampage. Who will stop it? Do you know a seal strong enough to hold a Biju as powerful as the Kyubi?

Something happens to my mother and this village will become hell to everyone who lives within it. I am not saying I hold all the cards, but I am not expandable. Correct me if I am wrong…"

Danzo narrowed his eyes dangerously. The blond was close and not completely wrong and that bothered him. He wasn't happy about how things were going in the moment. The blond was disregarding the fact that he was the Hokage and could make his life a living hell if he wanted to. He didn't expect the blond to be this uncontrollable. How was Sarutobi able to keep him on a tight leash?

At this moment, he had no hold and the blond could disappear at any moment. It was seriously a problem that he could not let slip through. He had to solve this or he would never get what he wants with the blond. This meant that he would have to discover the former Kage's secrets quickly.

Danzo refrained from making any more threats. It was best that he did not. He could allow the blond to go home and gloat about this one. He needed to retreat and think things over in order to get the winning formula. Threats were not working. He needed something that would get him to work with the blond and he would find it.

"Nothing is ever so sure in this world. I would rather get rid of a powerful tool than keep it close to me when I cannot control it," Danzo said.

That just meant that the man was a control freak. He liked being in charge of everything. This was a clear difference between him and the Sandaime Hokage. The old man had known that he could not control every situation. Still, he always worked around the situation to make sure he got there. The Third was the type who saw that a mountain was too steep for him to climb and got out to search for the muscles to carry him up all the way to the top.

The Third could dine with his enemies and still flash an 'honest' smile. Danzo could not. He only had one mask and that was an emotionless look. Hiruzen had been a master of all masks. He could play the gentle old man who had lived for far too long and seen too much and sometimes a cruel, cunning and genius.

That wasn't to say that he was perfect.

He wasn't.

"In any case, you're dismissed. Report to me tomorrow afternoon so that I can brief you on what we will be going through… I need you to grow up into the perfect weapon for my Konoha to reign supreme," Danzo stated without any fear.

Finally, Jiraiya had something to say about that. "What is that supposed to mean?" The Sannin demanded. Danzo was already planning something sinister. Maybe even invasions on other villages so that Konoha can control them and the removal of everything that he sees as a threat.

"Don't concern yourself with it. Hiruzen's memorial will be made tomorrow. It is best we do this quickly and move over his era to begin mine," Danzo said with a slight wave of his right hand. He didn't say anything but looked down at the paperwork already filling up his desk. There was a lot of work to be done. He would have to pull a late one. Not here obviously, but inside safe house.

Jiraiya did not say anything in response. He knew the man wasn't going to tell him anything. The Toad sage walked up to Naruto and placed his right hand on the blond's shoulder before they disappeared from the office.

The two appeared in atop of the Hokage Monument.

"While that was amusing to watch, are you sure it was a wise decision to antagonize Danzo?" Jiraiya asked in a serious tone. One must never underestimate Danzo and even if Naruto did appear to be all over the war hawk, the man could not be taken any less serious. The man was still shrewd. The fact that he was sitting in that office as the Hokage was proof enough.

In response to Jiraiya's question, Naruto shrugged off nonchalantly. "I could not see myself speaking to that fake cripple as if he was a respectable man. Besides, he will not last in that position."

Curious, Jiraiya took the bait. "What do you mean by that?"

"The Sandaime must have known that he was going to die. Orochimaru was the one student he loved the most and was his greatest regret. No matter what he did, the snake was always something that turned his head upside down. He has always known that Danzo wanted his seat, and should have known that the man would attempt to take the office in the wake of his death. Well, he didn't attempt it, he did it."

Naruto did know the old man well enough. Well, it was to be expected. The Sandaime Hokage had known Naruto more than anyone. It was the old man knew the blond more than his mother did. "He left a will, naming his successor. During the meeting with clan heads, Danzo said that he would occupy the position of Hokage until sensei names his successor as it was his right to do so. I'm guessing he said that because he knew that sensei would not live through the invasion. But did not see this one coming.

"I will leave the village tonight. I am going to try to find Tsunade. I won't take long. I will make sure that I return within a week. If I wait any longer, Danzo will just make it much more difficult for Tsunade to take over and the more the days go by, the more settled he becomes."

Naruto looked down at the village he didn't care about. That was a long route and he did not have the patience for it. It would take time and there were no certainties on it. "The Sandaime's memorial is tomorrow. I would advise that you attend. Danzo has already made himself comfortable. If there is damage, he has already done it. But you can do as you like."

"Are you worried about me?"

"Don't fool yourself," Naruto said indifferently.

"Ouch," Jiraiya said holding his chest in a comical show of pain.

 **Naruto's House**

When Naruto stepped in front of Itachi, he already had his mind made up about what he was going to do about Danzo. The man could not be allowed to live longer than he was living. Naruto would not even give the man the time to spend more a night as a Hokage. It was enough that he had achieved his dream, he could not be allowed to enjoy it.

If he allowed for another day for the man to be acting as Hokage, he would only be creating a prison for himself. Danzo would surely come up with a way to get his hooks all over his life. Before something like that happens, it was best to just get rid of the man.

"Itachi, Danzo will not see tomorrow. I cannot allow it. He has made threats that have displeased me. Your ideal Konoha cannot come to pass with that man acting as Hokage…" the blond stated in a firm tone. "Midnight, I will be sharpening my blades and after which, I will go out prepared to let four-tails out to cause a massacre."

Itachi wasn't surprised. He had expected it to happen and his mother had said Naruto would return ready to kill Danzo. "Why now? It hasn't been a day since he became Hokage."

"Exactly that, Itachi. At this point, Danzo will not allow Anbu to get close to him. His Ne will remain close and he will always use his hidden facilities to conduct private business. If he dies tonight, no one will complain. This is the best possible chance to get rid of him."

Itachi stared at Naruto for a long minute for responding. "It's ironic that Danzo ordered me to massacre my clan for the sake of Konoha and now I have to do it to him and the rest of his troops. This will be last mission. I'm afraid that I cannot even go back to the Akatsuki if I do this," the Uchiha said stoically.

 **Midnight**

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a blank expression on his face. The young Uchiha was standing in front of him and Itachi, staring at both of them with an equally blank look. How he was able to hold his look with both of them staring at him was something that was noteworthy but not praise worthy.

"What are you doing Sasuke?"

"I didn't think you were the kind of question the obvious," Sasuke responded in a flat tone.

Naruto blinked. He wasn't amused, but not angry either. This was Sasuke and what he had said made sense. He did not question the obvious. The right question to ask Sasuke should have been if the black haired thought he was going to be allowed to go with them to fight Danzo. The thought hadn't even come to his mind, but now that he was facing it, it was something that he had to consider.

"You're not coming along with us, Sasuke. It is going to be dangerous," Itachi said to his younger brother in a firm tone. He could not allow his younger brother to experience something like this, and there were going to be dangers that would threaten his life.

Sasuke glared at his older brother fiercely. "You and Naruto are always leaving me behind when you do important things. I am tired of being treated like a child. I want to be involved!" The young Uchiha complained as loudly and firmly as he could.

"But you have yet to grow. It is this kind of attitude that makes you childish," Naruto pressed. "If you want to be treated better, start behaving. You're a making fuss right now. Your voice is too loud, people will hear us and silence will be eliminated."

Sasuke merely glared back at Naruto but the blond shrugged it off.

"In any case, I think it will be good for you if you tag along. It will be dangerous and you will come close to death. Perhaps even suffer some life threatening wounds, or even lose a hand, but it can be attached and you will back to fight as good as new right?"

Naruto just painted a rather grim picture that Sasuke was willing to consider.

"Hate us if you like, but the truth is that you're not ready for this. You don't know what we are dealing with. Going with you will mean that you will become a burden, and I'm sure you know what happens when you become a burden to your teammates," Itachi said calmly. "I'm sorry Sasuke, but I cannot risk it. I understand what you're saying, but I still cannot allow you to come with. Your mother would not forgive me."

 **End Chapter**

 **A Question about the meeting with clan heads being unrealistic was raised, understandable. However, as far as I am concerned, clan heads are not usually in the first line of attack. Aren't leaders usually sitting behind thick glasses watching their soldiers fight while planning strategies and everything? The meeting called was not by Danzo but by the Daimyo. Hiruzen was fighting, who is there to watch over everything and plan for things other than the clan heads? Having said this, I will disagree with the point of saying they wouldn't allow themselves to be dragged into a meeting. They didn't even know what the meeting was about**.

In any case, things have happened in this order.

The Omnipresent Sage


	18. Chapter 18

**Root Bases**

The place was brought to a standstill when a murder of cawing craws appeared in the dark corridors out of nowhere. The crows were suddenly surrounded by root Anbu – it had occurred within seconds of appearing. Talk about effectiveness.

It was silence until Danzo's footsteps echoed around, with his cane tapping the floor as he walked. He stopped a good distance away when he looked at both Naruto and Itachi.

"I wasn't really expecting this," the war hawk stated. "But it hardly matters. I can tie a loose end and then make you my soldier. It is foolish of you to come here thinking you can get way alive. Itachi, I did not think that you were this naïve."

There was a hint of disgust in Danzo's tone.

Naruto looked around, watching the Root Anbu – he ignored Danzo as he spoke to the Uchiha beside him. "They are effective alright. nice little dogs. I want to keep some of them…"

Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly – that wasn't part of the plan. "Why?"

"With Danzo dead, they will be lost. It will be easy to make them work. Besides, I need some weapons of my own to look around this world. It may be fine here in Konoha, but as the invasion has shown, some people are busy plotting outside. I must know before it is too late… and this people… well some of them will help me with that."

"Getting rid of them would be a waste," Itachi said. "Is everything set?"

Naruto nodded. "The barrier has been erected. I don't have to worry about anyone noticing anything. We can freely go wild."

The moment the words left Naruto's mouth, the blond dropped down the ground on both his hands. The malicious chakra that resided inside of him started to pour out – it quickly surrounded his body, forming two tails behind him.

Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan came to life. "We cannot afford to spend too much time here, and we need to know what Danzo has been planning…" the Uchiha stated calmly. "You can start with them, I will take care of Danzo; it should take a couple of seconds to deal with him. I need to be delicate to take Shisui's eye…" he looked to the man who dared stare at his Mangekyo. " **Tsukuyomi** …"

 **The Following Morning**

It was early morning and yet the Hidden Leaf was woken up by a heavy storm that shook the entire village. It was more of a shock that had the villagers muttering in quietness as they recollected the memories they had of the day they heard of the Uchiha incident.

Another massacre had occurred and this one was bloody.

An entire Root organization had been slaughtered as well its leader. It was a mystery. At least with the Uchiha incident, they knew who had caused it, but this one was a mystery and it brought about fear within the streets of the Hidden Leaf. Who was it that had done it? Was it someone in their mist? Was it Itachi again? If it wasn't the Uchiha, who could done it?

It was better to believe what was tangible than the unknown. For that thought, some villagers believed that perhaps it had been Orochimaru or Itachi. Who knew? It could be between those two. The former had recently invaded their village and killed their Sandaime Hokage. It wouldn't have been above him to do something like this.

Everyone had their thoughts, but what was certain was that the village was in fear. It had happened overnight and no one saw or heard anything. Someone or some people had just walked in and killed more than a hundred of trained killers without anyone noticing, not even the Anbu who were supposed to know. It was a terrifying thought that made things troublesome.

As Shikaku would say.

Jiraiya looked at the village from the Hokage Monument. Yes it was still early morning, but the village streets were already filled with people. What was worrying was that the village was silent – not completely, but there was a sense of dread within the atmosphere.

The Sannin acknowledged that something had to be done in order to restore calm in the village. If things stayed like this, the other villages would surely attempt to try to take advantage of the confusion. It was a mess that he didn't think he would wake up to see. If he hadn't taken Naruto's advice, he wouldn't have been seeing this now. Then again, it was best that he was here.

It was in a moment like this when his presence was needed.

Still, it was just a day ago that Danzo had been hovering over the village like a black cloud. He had thought the village's future was at risk with the man acting as Hokage, but it had come to a bitter end. It was somewhat of a bitter pill: the man had coveted the position of Hokage all his life and when he had it, his life was taken away. He had not enjoyed it. It was taken away from him in brutal fashion.

Despite the situation, Jiraiya thought the man deserved it.

Nevertheless, it did not change the situation that was facing this village. More than ever, this village needed someone strong to stand in its leadership shoes. It needed someone with a reputation. Tsunade was what the village needed and he would get her back. No matter what. Her village needed her now and she could not run away from it.

She could hate him, but this was not a matter he could allow to go on unattended lest the Leaf falls.

Jiraiya narrowed his slightly after the Anbu who had come to him yesterday appeared on his right hand side. "Did sensei predict this one as well?"

"It was one of the possibilities but less likely so he didn't consider it would happen, hence I said Naruto would leave the village yesterday. With Danzo still here, there is no reason for Naruto leave," the Anbu said calmly. "I don't think anybody expected him to be dead just hours after taking the seat. But it has happened and it must be dealt with. With him gone, I have no reason to keep what the Sandaime gave me. I trust that you will carry out his wishes."

"You sound as if you are leaving this village," Jiraiya said curiously.

"I am," the Anbu said with a small nod. "I will claim the actions done to Danzo and his Root. If the village stays like this, people will panic. It is best they believe that someone actually did it than to let them continue making guesses," the man said.

"You must know who did it then," Jiraiya said in firm tone. "Why though?"

"It is a sacrifice I am willing to make for the sake of the Hidden Leaf. Every now and then, someone has to make a sacrifice," the Anbu responded.

"I know Naruto was there in the Root bases. I sensed the residual chakra of the Kyubi, but he could not have done it alone. Naruto is strong, but not that powerful."

"Just because you sensed the Kyubi's chakra doesn't mean that it was actually Naruto who was there. What you don't know is that there is another person who contains the Biju's chakra," the Anbu said, drawing many questions from the Sannin. "By the end of the day, this village will know my mask and that I exist."

The Anbu vanished without another word after speaking.

In the end, the man didn't say anything and Jiraiya still had questions. He would have to dig deep to find them. Aside from the Kyubi's chakra, there was no trace of Naruto's presence. It was disturbing that there was another person with the Biju's chakra. The Sannin could believe that. That man had no reason to lie and it wasn't like he was going to do anything to Naruto if indeed he was involved.

Someone had actually done the Leaf a favour.

If he could get Tsunade to return quickly, then there won't be any troubles when she does return. If she had returned when Danzo was still kicking, there was a possibility that the man would've refused and a civil war might have taken place. It was within the scope of possibilities and Jiraiya had considered it.

With things like this, there would be no one to oppose Tsunade and the clan heads would give her the support. If she was able to apply her mind, there was no doubt that the slug princess could pull it off. She had been taught by the professor after all. How was he going to get her to return though?

Jiraiya shook his head. He would think of that after the Sandaime's memorial. What even made the day a bit better was that Danzo hadn't announced his position as Hokage. Very few would be disappointed.

 **Senju Compound**

"You must have had a rather rough night out," Mikoto said, bandaging Naruto's upper body. The blond was in discomfort. He didn't have any wound on him to say he had been injured. The woman assumed the Kyubi had 'closed' those flesh wounds, but the pain was still there.

By now, Itachi was long gone, not even a trace of his presence left behind. It was better that way because once it became known of what had happened, it would be really difficult for him to leave the village. The whole thing was still dancing within her head. She could not decide if the thought had been morally right, but in the present situation, it had been the right thing to do.

To save Konoha and themselves, they had to shed blood. That was the world that they were living in. It was sad that to avoid evil, they had to become the lessor evil. There was no doubt that Danzo would have driven this village to war within months and many people would have been killed. To avoid that, they removed him from this world.

But what if another person rises to cause another war? Mikoto shook her head. She didn't need to have those kind of thoughts. When had she become that kind of a person anyway? She wasn't Itachi. The thoughts had been just her family, her clan and her village. World peace was the thought of idealists.

"Those robots were trained killers. I have to admit, they had been trained well. It was a lot difficult than what I had in mind. They made a real fight out of it," Naruto said with a wince. He had received his fair share of hits and cuts. It hadn't been a clean sweep, but they got through. Once the master was dead, it became a lot easier to handle.

"You faced Orochimaru – a Sannin and left the battle with no wounds but when you fight root Anbu you have troubles," Mikoto said calmly.

"I had the element of surprise with Orochimaru and with the Root Anbu, I did not have. Well the job is done anyway," the blond said.

Mikoto nodded, "And you're still alive. I am very happy that you are alive, Naruto. Of course I hadn't doubted your strength, but I am happy that you are okay…" the Uchiha placed a delightful smile on her lips as she spoke.

Naruto stared at the smile for a few seconds. It wasn't the first time he was seeing the smile. The thing that made him curious was that the woman seemed to have a different kind of smile when she looked at a few selected people. This was one that seemed to be reserved just for him. The blond shook his head. Maybe he was having one of those days.

"I had no other choice but to return. If I had died in that battlefield, my mother would have had trouble of having to live as being known as the mother of the shinobi who did this to the Hokage of the Leaf," the blond said in a firm tone. "At least now, things look good again."

Mikoto nodded. "Yes," she said. "You can start hoping again. We can hope for better things. I don't think they will allow just anyone to take the position after the Danzo case. Laws have to be changed about how a Kage is selected as well…" the Uchiha pause for a moment before changing the subject. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going home to my mother and smile while I make her breakfast. I feel as if I am free. I have never felt so weightless in my entire life. There is no Sandaime, no Danzo, no one to make me worry. The village now has a better outlook of me since the invasion – all thanks to the Third's scheming," Naruto said with a very tiny smile. "You can almost say that I'm quite happy."

Mikoto laughed. His tone and his words just did not rhyme. Although there was a tiny smile on his face, his tone wasn't smiling – it was actually blank. "I'm glad that you have found happiness. I wish you'd express it more. Do you want me to show you how to express happiness, dear?"

"I'm in the room with you," Sasuke said with a nasty look on his face. "Why are you acting like that with him?"

"Because he is a delight to your mother, Sasu-chan," Mikoto said with a smile. She had really forgotten that Sasuke was in the room with them. She blamed Naruto for making her forget that her precious son was in the room. She was certain that the blond hadn't forgotten but was actually just ignoring him.

Sasuke scoffed in response.

Mikoto merely shook her head before turning her attention towards Naruto once again. "I meant what are the plans from now on. Itachi says he won't be returning to the Akatsuki, I am sure there is something planned…"

Naruto shook his body for a moment just to feel the pain once more. There was a lot that he could do now. He could just relax and enjoy his delightful life with his mother now that things were calm within this rotten village. But that would be naïve of him. He could not stand and think that things were going to be alright from now on.

This was the shinobi world, anything could happen without any notice. An invasion had occurred in this village and he had not thought it would happen. Even though Suna had been tricked by Orochimaru after he killed its Kage, the relationship between the village and Konoha was at odds and how it went from now depended on how the coming Hokage would treat the matter.

He could not relax. Not in this world. He needed to plan ahead. First he would see who would be becoming Hokage. Until he knows who and confirms their motives, he would move to do what needs to be done. But of course, he would still make plans of his own. He could not live without a plan. Wrestling with the Sandaime Hokage had taught him that much.

"The fight with Danzo's rats taught me that I still have a lot to learn. I want to grow and become stronger. Watching Itachi fight showed me what real power is. I want to reach that level where I will be certain that I can protect my mother regardless of what comes to my way," Naruto said firmly. "With that in mind, I will leave Konoha for a while in order to get the training I need. Itachi will be training Sasuke…"

That was something that made Sasuke turn on a smile. He was still angry over the fact that Naruto and his brother had left him behind. He understood it was dangerous given Naruto's pain, but he was still bitter about it. This news was going to make him happy and he would be strong in the end.

"When do we leave?"

"Not even considering your mother when those words leave your mouth," Naruto said in a flat tone. "Sometimes your lust for power disappoints me. No matter what Sasuke, you must never forget what is beside you. Your mother carried you for nine months and she is the only parent you have left, treat her with care…" the blond paused. "I am going to mine."

"Are you going to tell her?"

Naruto closed his eyes as he thought of many scenarios. "Yes," he said. "Maybe not today, but I will. Mother will worry about it as she will no doubt suspect me and Itachi. If it is so obvious, it is best to clear the air so that we can both share our thoughts and be open with each other. The last thing I wish to do is to worry my mother about me keeping things from her."

"But you honestly do keep things from her," Sasuke pressed firmly.

"I have never lied to my mother and never will," Naruto said. That was his only response before he left.

Sasuke watched the blond disappear with a stare. He should also be heading home with his mother. He could not remain sitting here forever. They were things that had to be done and he had to think about how he was going to do things after leaving this village to train with his brother.

The raven head looked back at his mother and frowned – she was staring at the door Naruto used to leave the room. His mother had become really close to the blond. She was way too close to him for his liking and the blond made things worse by telling him how he should act around his mother. His own mother? Who did the blond think he was?

"You and Itachi are really close to Naruto," Sasuke said to his mother.

Mikoto smiled at the accusation in Sasuke's tone. "Don't be a jealous child, Sasuke: it doesn't work on you and for an Uchiha, that kind of an emotion is never good at all. You will do stupid things because of it," she said calmly. "What you need to remember is that I am your mother and Itachi is your brother. No matter, Itachi will always love you and he certainly does love you more than he loves Naruto. Don't ever doubt that, because Naruto can never take your position in our hearts."

 **Naruto's House**

Kushina rubbed her eyes in a sleepy mode and just to confirm if her eyes were not playing tricks on her. She was seeing something very rare. She had always been the one to cook the meals that were eaten in this house, but now, Naruto was cooking for her, and his body language spoke volumes about a happy person.

What could have happened to make him so happy? Last night wasn't a pleasant night at all. She hadn't slept peacefully as she normally does because of the news of Danzo's rise to the Hokage seat. It had been a worry some discovery that made her fear for her son's future. She knew the man would plot to have her dear Naruto become a weapon for Konoha. It was something that she could not stand to watch happen.

She did not want her son to live that kind of a life. She wanted to him to live as normally as he could. She could not think of escaping this village, but if it meant saving his son's life from the danger, she would think of it. She was willing to do anything for her son.

Naruto turned around to face his mother with a small happy smile. "Good morning mother," he greeted the redhead calmly.

Kushina was starting to wonder if perhaps her son had been possessed or whether someone was playing a cruel joke on her. She had dreamt of something like this happening. She wanted a happy child who could surprise her like this. The Naruto she knew could never do something like this no matter how much he loved her.

Her Naruto shouldn't be happy, unless he had snapped and was actually crazy. She couldn't fault him for losing it. Things had been hard on him since birth. There was no reason for him to be happy on this day either. Today was the Sandaime's memorial. The old man had meant something to him. He could not simply be this happy when the man who had cared for him was to be buried and above all, when Danzo was Hokage.

Perhaps she was in a dream world.

"You're not dreaming, mother," Naruto said in his normal tone. The tone of his voice just snapped Kushina out of her thoughts and she walked over to the kitchen and settled down.

It was really her son that was making her breakfast.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Kushina asked carefully and delicately, as if she didn't want to break anything.

Naruto nodded. Perhaps the right emotion to show at this moment would have been amusement over his mother's question and the worry in her tone; he had just nodded before talking in a more familiar tone.

"I am fine, mother. I have never actually felt so alive in my life…"

Kushina did not offer a response immediately; she dived into her thoughts as she tried to figure out how she was going to deal with this situation. She was failing to handle it normally. Should she be happy that her son was showing signs of happiness? She shook her head. She just needed to confirm something before doing anything.

"Naruto, you do know that the Sandaime is dead and that Danzo is going to make our lives difficult because he has become Hokage, right?"

She just needed to confirm that he was aware of the situation that surrounded them and that it was nothing to be happy about.

Naruto did not offer a response to his mother. He acted as if he hadn't heard her and continued preparing his breakfast. Once done, he brought a bowel of water for his mother and then dished out the food on the table before settling down. He said no prayers before taking a bite and then he responded.

"The old man's death is sad, but honestly, I have not really given myself the time to think about it. Perhaps it has yet to fully register in my head," Naruto said in a calm tone, very little emotion in his voice. "Danzo is another matter…"

Maybe he wasn't thinking that much of the old man's death because a part of him was happy the man was dead. Of course, he would never tell his mother that. If the Sandaime hadn't annoyed him with his schemes, maybe he would even shed a couple of tears during the funeral. But now, there was nothing in him.

"A troublesome matter that could ruin us," Kushina stressed the words slowly.

Seriously, the man was without doubt the biggest problem they faced. He was going to turn her Naruto into a weapon the has been dreaming of if he wasn't stopped. There would be little resistance from the clan heads, and she would have to fight on her own.

And she would put up a fight.

She wasn't going to allow anyone to ruin their lives just to gain something. She was happy with how things were progressing in their lives, especially. If he was smiling like this, then she could hope for a better future. Happiness for Naruto was a possible thing, but if Danzo wasn't stopped, that smile could vanish.

Naruto looked at his mother for a moment before looking back at his food. "I met the Sand siblings," he said. "Yesterday… I'm sure by now they have crossed the dessert and are home."

He had said this just to see how his mother would react. He was going to be careful with how he handled issues with those other siblings, but his hostility towards Kankuro would not be masked.

Kushina smiled happily. "I'm happy to hear that," she said. "I was worried that something might have happened to them. It would have been sad though. I'd really grown attached them…" she paused, thinking about their situation. "Temari-chan will surely have a lot to deal with now… they no longer have a mother and now their father is gone. I'd become like a parent to them, maybe I should keep watching them."

Naruto managed to keep his mask, but he had mixed feelings about the whole thing. His mother was seemingly forgetting that their village had attacked Konoha. Yes, they were fooled by Orochimaru, but history will record that Sunagakure attacked Konoha along with the Sound village.

When you put reason into the situation, it did make sense – how his mother was acting – but Naruto still felt somehow about the whole thing.

"Perhaps," that was the only thing Naruto was willing to say. He would not make decisions for his mother. "At least on our side, things are better. We don't have to worry about the villagers and can actually look forward to some peace…"

That was something that Naruto thought he would never say while in this villages, not when those monkeys were still dancing in the streets. This change didn't change much in his opinion of them. What they had done, he would not forget.

"We would, but you're forgetting something," Kushina said. But really, was her son the one to forget about something like that. He was acting as if Danzo didn't exist. The woman frowned, "What are you not telling me, Naruto?"

Naruto didn't waste time to respond, not because he was pressured but because he hadn't been planning on keeping it from his mother if she asked. There hadn't been a right moment to say it than this. "Danzo is dead," the blond said indifferently.

Kushina stared at her son. Her skin crawled as she thought of the possibilities. He had risked his life to get rid of Danzo. She did not doubt that the blond was involved if he was saying it. She should have thought that he would do something like this. Perhaps this was all that scheming with Itachi was all about.

"Life is a precious thing, Naruto," Kushina said calmly. "You're precious to me. If something happens to you, I don't know what I'd do. So, I beg of you, please don't ever do something so reckless again. What if Danzo had caught you instead?"

"Wouldn't have happened," Naruto said in a firm tone. "There had been plans to avoid such a thing happening and Itachi was there as well. Itachi would have given his life to save mine…"

"Naruto, you have been in Anbu before, you should know that not everything goes according to plan. You might think that you have everything thought out, but the unlikely will occur and throw away your plan E and F," Kushina said in a sad tone, thinking about the night she gave birth to Naruto. "I should be angry that you'd do something like that, but seeing how free it has made you, I can't complain."

Perhaps it would make her a bad mother, but this was the shinobi world and Naruto was a shinobi. He had lost his innocence long go. The ship had already sailed, she could not keep wishing for an innocent child. The Naruto before her was a fighter who would fight anyone who threatened their happiness and lives.

He did not shy away from taking decisions to secure their futures. When had he crossed the borders in trying to do so? Her son was calculative just like his father. He did things for a reason, and didn't just jump into a pool because the water looked clean.

Naruto smiled warmly. "It is a good day," he said. "The feeling is strange, but I can't say I hate it. It is somewhat refreshing."

"As long as you are happy," she said.

It became silent as the two ate their breakfast in comfortable silence.

About an Hour later

When Jiraiya came to face Naruto, he didn't know what to expect from the blond. There was no proof, but he was still certain that Naruto had been involved with Danzo's murder. He wasn't going to complain, Konoha had been done a huge favour and no one would cry foul over it as the man hadn't announced his position as 'acting' Hokage as of yet.

Still, the Sannin was certain that Naruto didn't do it for Konoha and it made him worry a little. Would the blond kill anyone who he thought was going to make his life miserable? The blond had told him before that Danzo would not be alive to be Hokage today and when Konoha woke up; the war hawk was declared dead.

Killed along with his Root Anbu…

There had been blood everywhere and it seemed that whoever was in that place hadn't been all gentle at all. It wasn't like the assassin style that Naruto was known to use. Jiraiya just could not stomach seeing the blond surrounded by piles of bloody corpses.

"What can I do for you, Jiraiya?"

The blond asked the question while standing atop of the Hokage monument. The Toad Sage beside him was wearing black – the time for the Sandaime's memorial was upon them, but Naruto was still in his normal clothing.

"Aren't you going? Considering how close you two were, it would be somehow if you don't go…" the Sannin stated.

Naruto looked up into the heavens with a blank look on his face. When was it going to rain? He wished for nothing more than rain drops to pour into his face. It wasn't that he needed them to hide the emotions in his face; he just felt the rain would go well with the cloud that was hanging over his head.

"I'm not going," Naruto ended up saying, surprising Jiraiya.

Why did he have to go? What would it achieve if he went to that place? People would be crying and it wouldn't be pleasant for him especially if it were these people of this village who would be wearing those sad looks, weeping for the death of the old man.

He still had to think about the situation that had arisen between him and the Sandaime. Before the man died, he had been growing to dislike him for his plots and twist. He was never free because the old man seemed to have a hand in everything that he did and he was always watching his every move. It had felt as if he was trapped, unable to do anything to escape.

Honestly, he had tried and failed to get the best of the old man but he had failed. It had been frustrating that with each move, the old had already known. If anything, he was nothing more than the Sandaime's puppet. If the old man had lived through to this day, they would have ended up resenting each other – Naruto was certain of this.

"Why?" Jiraiya asked all in curiosity.

Somehow, the blond seemed a bit down, but yet he his tone had felt emotionless. Perhaps he was just hiding his emotions. Then again, Naruto wasn't the one who walked with his emotions masked in his face for all to see.

Still, Jiraiya wanted to know why the blond was choosing not do go. This was good bye and if you miss your chance, you might never get the chance to do it. If it wasn't because of what Naruto had said the day before, he wouldn't be in the village by now; he would have left Konoha in search for Tsunade.

"I have a lot to think about," Naruto said as he sat down, legs crossed, eyes a downcast. His vision the stone he was sitting on not the gloomy streets of the Hidden Leaf. "There is a lot to think about…" Naruto repeated.

Naruto was saying the same thing twice? What was happening in this world? Was he perhaps dreaming or was it starting to dawn on the blond that the Sandaime Hokage was now gone and would no longer be in this world anymore. He would no longer burst into the office and say 'sensei.'

The old man had ceased to exist in this world and all that remained was his legacy as well as the bitter and sweet memories they shared together.

Before Jiraiya could say anything, Yugao flashed into existence, wearing black. She smiled thinly at the Sannin before speaking politely. "You should go; they are already looking for you. I will stay with Naruto."

Jiraiya nodded before sending a glance at Naruto once more. He disappeared without saying another word.

"It is really a sad day for Konoha…" the woman started in a calm tone. "I'm sure when our allies hear about this they will also mourn with us…"

The death of the Sandaime wasn't the death of a normal shinobi. The old man had lived through three shinobi world wars. It said much about his age, but also a lot more about his power. He was truly a humble soul that was respected for being peace loving. He preferred negotiations over the needless bloodshed.

Like the Yondaime Hokage, he had died in the service of his village and as a proud Kage.

"Possibly," Naruto nodded in agreement. But his reasons were much more different from what Yugao had in mind.

In his mind, Naruto thought that the Sandaime had a way with people. The old man could sell the image of an old man who had seen too much in his life and all that he wanted was just peace. The old man was like that. He played with people's perceptions to suit his own agenda.

It had worked well for him as nobody ever discovered that he was a fox in a sheep's garment. Well, if you never got found out, who would complain? For him it was a problem because he knew the Sandaime's nature and his tendency to plot twisting schemes that would work for the tomorrow he hoped for.

That was the thing with this world – everyone was always thinking about their ideals and the kind of world they wished. Everyone thought that they were right, but who was wrong? Who was even allowed to say that someone was wrong and that this was right? People had their own justice and moral compass, but the problem arose when they tried to force those ideals into other people, even resorting to manipulation.

Naruto had no problem with those games though, but he would never allow anyone to manipulate his life ever again. It was enough that the Sandaime had manipulated his life so that he could have the ideal puppet.

Yugao glanced at Naruto for a moment and looked back at the silent streets of the Hidden Leaf. It was a sad day for the Leaf; Konoha had lost a great pillar, a legend in the Hokage's office and now it didn't have a Kage. The one who had grabbed the seat yesterday was dead.

If other Villages had known that Danzo was the acting Hokage, they would have smelled blood and made attempts to attack the village. "Why are you not attending the proceedings, Naruto?"

"Is there any reason, I should?"

"You were close to the Sandaime Hokage and this is the time you get to say goodbye to him; this is the time we get to grieve for the loss we have incurred… I should know. I was struggling to deal with my own pain at the loss of someone I loved…"

The pain of losing someone you loved was something that was breaking to the heart. Yugao had felt it and even though she was trained to control her emotions as an Anbu, when he loved one died, she had been unable to control any of her emotions. Nevertheless, it was life, and with the help of Kushina, she was able to cope.

The woman had after all lost her husband, the great Yondaime Hokage and had to content with her son being a Jinchuriki and worse of all, the villagers hated him for it. Kushina's pain had been greater than hers, but she hadn't fell apart. She was a strong woman and Yugao admired her for her strength.

"You're mistaking something, Yugao," Naruto started in a firm tone. "Perhaps in the early days, I had grown to like the old man, but as the days grew, perhaps to be more specific, in the past months, i hadn't been smiling with him. Any more months to have come with him still alive, I would have grown to resent him. It is good that he died now before I could learn to dislike him."

Yugao was shocked at hearing that. For a moment she thought of slapping the blond, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing that reflected his emotions. Perhaps he wasn't focusing on the old man's death, perhaps he just didn't care.

Either way, it was wrong.

Yugao could not tolerate something like that and she was sure that Naruto would not speak like that in front of his mother. Kushina had sent her here because she had known that Naruto would not show himself in black. He needed someone, what could she do to help him? Someone so young shouldn't be like this, he had to have emotions.

"The Sandaime had at first fought to keep you away from Danzo because he didn't want you to become an emotionless robot, but it seems that he didn't have to worry about that," Yugao sad absent-mindedly.

"Emotions? I have them; they are just not wasted on pointless things. The Third is dead, we must move on. The dead must not hold us from looking forward. Admittedly, the Sandaime was doing all he could to secure my future, but with him gone now, I will have to get my hands dirty."

Well, not literally. He did have his toys now.

Yugao narrowed her eyes; the was a dangerous feeling in his tone and she didn't like it; it made her feel slightly nervous. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing major," Naruto said with a slight shrug. "I have to go away for some time to train and become stronger as I grow. A time away from this god forsaken village will do good to refresh my mind," the blond added.

Yugao shook her head. Even though the villagers were now whispering his name with small hidden smiles for his actions during the invasion, Naruto could still not like them. She was sure that a couple would be worried about him when they do realize that he wasn't present at the funeral, even though he had been close to the Sandaime Hokage.

She had become used to the fact that Naruto held no love for Konoha though. He never did show it to other people because he knew he would be treated as a flight risk, but the Sandaime had at times treated him as a flight risk and Naruto had known about it.

"A new Hokage would have to agree to it, but I don't think the council would agree to it," Yugao said calmly. Well, if they knew what the Sandaime thought about Naruto, they would keep him locked up in chains and keep him from leaving the village.

"I don't really care about the council: they will not dictate my actions, but if they are being stubborn, I will get Jiraiya to play his part," Naruto said before slowly standing up. "Come on, you must cover for our disappearance to Suna."

"We are going to Suna?"

Naruto shook his head, "I am going to Suna; you will stay behind to watch my mother. It will only be for about an hour though," the blond said firmly. "There are some things that I need to handle."

Yugao stared curiously; Suna wasn't just outside of the Leaf, it was far away into another country. It didn't take an hour to get to the village, it took much more than that.

"There are people who have gone ahead of me; they should be ready to call him at any time soon. I want to be ready when they do call me," Naruto said.

 **Sunagakure**

Baki found himself sighing once more again; he was in the presence of the Village's council, the current ruling body within the village. Without a Kage, the council was now in charge of all decision making.

They had been fools to think that they would win a war with Konoha. They had supported the invasion and were not against it – all of them. Baki was a shinobi and he did not question orders, he merely did as instructed.

Perhaps the fools had become slightly greedy after Orochimaru had made the proposal. He had known that the snake Sannin had approached the council when Rasa had first refused to listen to the man's proposal. They had a good thing going after all, and they had secured Suna's future, so Rasa had no reason to betray that plan.

Yet, the council didn't have the same thought.

He should have noticed the differences though. Rasa had spoken proudly about the plan had he worked up with the Uzumaki and the Sandaime Hokage. Everything had been well and going smoothly. He had been a good father to his children and then all of them sudden, he flipped.

Baki had not questioned anything. He had his thoughts, but he didn't voice them.

He had been foolish.

But never again would he make that same mistake. He would look after the Godaime Kazekage and would question where he felt the decisions being made if they were questionable and if he felt they were wrong.

His thoughts were not the source of his sighs, nevertheless. He was dealing with the damn fools of the council. He had returned from Konoha to inform them about the decision that they had to make about what Danzo had informed him. The man had ordered them to surrender or risk being forced into submission.

"We simply cannot allow that man to rule over this village like that. Suna is ours and we will not sell it to that man.:"

"But we can hand them Temari. That traitorous snake did inform us of Rasa's deal with the Sandaime."

"Perhaps we should send a message to either Iwa or Kumo. I'm sure both villages would be willing to help, for a price I know, but we can use the Kazekage's children as bargaining chips."

There was a pause for a few moments.

"Yes, that would work. Neither village would want Konoha to get any stronger than it already is. They will think that if Konoha is coming after Sunagakure, what will stop it from coming after them after it has recovered from the invasion?"

This was the madness that was making Baki sigh. This was perhaps the longest he has attended. They could not come into a consensus.

"Baki…"

Whatever was going to be said was stopped when a murder of crows burst through the entrance of the chambers and the lights went dead. The reactions had been instantaneous as the people within the chambers quickly got up into their feet in fear and started shouting for Anbu and for Baki to do something. They had the idea that they were under attack.

No one was supposed to disturb them and if there was something that needed their attention, an Anbu would have reported it to Baki and the man would have told them about it, but this was an obvious attack on the council.

Perhaps what brought the fear were the crimson eyes that were glaring dimly within the murder of crows. It was undoubtedly the Sharingan, but who?

Itachi?

Before Baki could move, two white masked man flashed both in front and behind him, their blades pressed against his body. He was caught in a web and was certain, one wrong move; the blades would be piercing his body.

For now, he would stay still.

Baki glared at the murder of crows, certain there was someone. "Who are you?" He demanded.

The crows cawed as they started flying all over the chambers, revealing a very still Uzumaki Naruto holding a blade on his right hand; his eyes were just cold.

"Uzumaki, what is the meaning of this?"

When it was apparent to the council members that it was just a brat, they shouted for the Anbu to come forth and dispose of the fool who dared try to threaten them, but no help came. No one came. They just shouted and called helplessly.

Once tired, they glared at Naruto. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It has come to my attention that this council conspired with Orochimaru to invade Konoha even after your Kazekage had refused. If you had been fooled like everyone else, I would have let it slide, but you supported the invasion…" he paused before asking. "Why?"

"That is a foolish question to ask… do you think you can get out of here, gaki? This is our village and no sooner than later, this place will be crawling with Anbu. Be clever and we will not dispose of you but we will use as a bargaining chip to make Konoha forget everything."

Naruto didn't looked impressed at all. "You're not worth talking to anymore," the blond stated before blurring out of view. He appeared in front of an old council member with his blade held high. The others watched curiously, as the blade dripped with blood.

A second later, a head dropped to the floor.

Chaos reigned and Naruto snapped his fingers. Two more masked men appeared into the chambers and disposed of the remaining council members.

Baki watched with an expressionless look on his face. He didn't care about the old farts. If anything, he would have ended up killing them himself. They had become too power hungry and would drive this village toward the edge of a cliff.

Naruto settled down on one of the chairs and motioned for Baki to be freed. The man sat down across the blond. He really needed a seat. This was a coupe… one that would not be bad if he was able to negotiate. The village did need new faces to lead it out of this troubling situation.

"These are Danzo's men," Baki stated, looking straight at Naruto.

Naruto didn't respond to that; the man was merely making a statement, he didn't have to respond to it. "Danzo is dead; you no longer need to worry about surrendering to Konoha. A new Hokage will probably be Tsunade, and if she has kept the Sandaime's teachings, she won't make the same demands as Danzo made."

"Did you have a hand in his death?"

Again, Naruto didn't respond to the question. "For the next two and a half years, you will train Gaara in leadership. You will select a new smart council and then after you think he is ready, install Gaara as the Godaime Kazekage."

"Do you wish to make Gaara your puppet leader?"

"Gaara is a smart person, I'm sure he will be a good leader who will be grateful and will not make stupid decisions as the former council made…" Naruto paused. "Do you have a problem with this arrangement?"

"What do you plan on doing after? Rasa held a very high opinion of you and you don't look as if you're interested in controlling Suna, not that I would allow it."

"I have no interest in leading this village. I merely took an action that interests me and works well for me. If things go south in Konoha, I can come here with no problems and no one will object to it. This village can become a fortress with Gaara's power and any village would think twice about attacking it, so it makes it a safe place.

Nevertheless, if you do have problems, you can die in the next minute and I can look for someone else to do the job. The Anbu around here are dreaming in the world of genjutsu. As far as they are concerned, everything is going smoothly and the council members are still debating." The blond stood up. "I hope I do not have to come again and slaughter everyone in this room, with you included."

If Baki had been told that such a situation would appear before him in his life and caused by someone so young, he would have laughed until he rolled over the ground – it would have been ridiculous. But it was happening. He gave himself the credit for being calm about it. His next question surprised him though – he could not quite believe he was the one asking it.

"You seem to have things in script, what do you think will happen now? Even if the next Hokage doesn't make demands to Sunagakure, our relationship has reached a point where anything can happen… what do you think would be the best way to deal with the situation?"

Naruto looked at the man with a blank expression on his face as if to ask if the man was being serious. He shook his head, and gave his response. "I don't particularly care about that. What needs to happen will be up to you. I was merely removing objects that may cause troubles to spur. If they had gone to either Iwa or Kumo, a bloody war would have occurred soon enough. I wouldn't mind wiping out an entire village if it would prevent war from happening."

The lack of emotion made Baki doubt that this would be done because Naruto wanted a safe world. No, believed there was another reason for that. From what Rasa had observed, the blond didn't hold a high opinion of other people – in fact, he didn't care about them.

Baki placed his hands on the table and stared at the blond. "Konoha doesn't know you're here and I'm sure it doesn't know you are working with Danzo's people. If this got out, it would cause uproar. If you are saying Danzo is indeed dead and you have his people, then it is safe to say you had a hand in his death… does Konoha know about it? For a man who was acting as Hokage, it can be considered treason if it is discovered."

Naruto didn't look amused. "The people that matter are actually happy that he is dead," the blond stated calmly. "But if you're interested in doing blackmail or threats, hold all the cards in your hands and learn more about the game. But continue trying to play it, and I will reconsider allowing your existence to continue."

The blond burst into a murder of crows once again and was gone a second later along with the masked men.

Baki noticed the room glowing slightly and realized that there had been a barrier placed around. It was for sure blocking chakra from leaving the chambers and the sound as well. A smart move. Even if he had done his signals using chakra to alert the Anbu close by, they would not have felt it because of the barrier.

Never mind that, how was he going to deal with the situation now? The village had no leaders as things stood and without a Kage and a council, it was lost. He needed to step up and assume leadership role, but he would need help.

Civilians and retired shinobi would do in a new council. Yes, that would do. It wasn't just shinobi matters that were handled by a Kage but also, civilian matters. Someone to represent them would be needed. He just needed to be careful with whom he picked; otherwise, he would end up regretting it.

 **Konoha**

 **Naruto's house**

"Are you really fine, Naruto?" Mikoto asked, looking at Naruto with concern. He hadn't showed up at the Sandaime's funeral and he didn't seem to be suffering from grieve – in fact, he looked way normal and perhaps a little cold given the situation.

Mikoto believed that Naruto wasn't that of a cold person that he would no care if someone he cared for died. He and the Sandaime had been friends, well until of late. Naruto was no longer going to the Sandaime to have the normal talk; it was always business with the old man trying to manipulate the Naruto.

She had never been fond of the old man's tricks. Perhaps that was why she stayed away from the village politics, council and just focused on rebuilding her clan. The children were growing up nicely; they would grow into the politics of the village.

"I have no problems… for a moment I was a little sad that he is dead, but I have gotten over that," Naruto responded calmly.

They were sitting behind his house, in the garden: Yugao and Sasuke were also present. His mother was locked up in the house with Jiraiya. Naruto didn't know what they were talking about, but he hadn't bothered trying figure it out.

Mikoto sighed and just nodded. "Are you still serious about leaving the village for your training?"

Sasuke butt in before Naruto could respond. "Of course he was serious, mother," the Uchiha stated firmly.

Naruto would not joke around something like that; he didn't even do jokes, did he? Sasuke was sure they were going. He was really looking forward to the training. He would come back stronger; Naruto and Itachi would no longer leave him behind when they go out for dangerous missions; a child no more. Most of all, he would finally spend some quality time with his beloved brother.

"You appeared fine when I talked about it yesterday," Naruto said, having ignored Sasuke.

"I was," Mikoto paused and put on a look on her face. "But when I got home, I thought about it and realized that you would be gone for a bit too long for my liking. I will miss you. Really, just thinking about your absence in my life for at least a year makes me feel lonely and sad."

Naruto merely raised an eyebrow at this as he thought over a few things. "If it weren't for your responsibilities, you'd be free to come with us."

Mikoto nodded, "But at least when you do come, you will be all grown up and looking like a man. You think like a man, but haven't quite grown up, physically at least. I wish I could just sleep and wake up 3 or four years later."

Yugao stared at the sly smile on Mikoto's lips. Was it just her? She shook her head. No, she wasn't seeing things. Mikoto had the look of a hungry woman in her eyes. It wasn't for the first time she was seeing it. In fact, the woman treated Naruto like an adult and Sasuke as a child. When she spoke to Naruto, she spoke as if she was speaking to someone her age.

Certainly, the woman had some naughty thoughts about Naruto… could it be that she was 'booking' the blond? She was a fit single woman who didn't seem to have any interest in any man other than Naruto – who wasn't a man but a boy by the way.

However, that didn't seem to matter to Mikoto did it? She was waiting for the day when blond would come back all grown so that she could nasty things to him. Yugao turned red as her thoughts wondered off. She looked at Naruto, he was a fine looking boy who was mature, but his mother issues were definitely a problem.

How come neither Naruto nor Kushina seem to realize the intensions of Mikoto?

Yugao blinked when she realized that Naruto's eyes were staring into hers… she had been caught staring. She smiled and Naruto just shrugged it off with indifference. That was what she liked about him. He did ask questions, but not always.

Unfortunately, for Yugao, Mikoto didn't let it slip. "IS there something on your mind, Yugao?"

The former Anbu quickly shook her head. "No," she said.

"Have you cleared things with Anbu? When Konoha does get a new Kage, you won't be allowed to roam around as you are now. But it will be simple for you to come around here as you like."

"I have," Yugao said with a nod.

Mikoto nodded as well. "Are you planning on joining Naruto? Though, for you, it would be difficult to convince the leaders to allow you to leave."

Yugao merely shrugged. "I have been Anbu all my life, since I have quit Anbu, I would have to be drafted into the Jonin roaster or at least registered to take part in any missions. For now, I am free of all chains and until I agree to anything, I am retired as a shinobi. Besides, any Kage who comes in will only read a file that says I am incapable of carrying my duties as a shinobi… the Sandaime never got the chance to complete his report…"

Mikoto smiled. "I like that people who surround my boys are smart… well, I doubt Naruto would allow himself to be surrounded by a couple of idiots," she shook her head at the thought and turned to Sasuke. "You have to start using your head a lot more than ever… and I hope by the time you return, you will be mature…"

His mother was making it sound as if he doesn't use his mind. "I use my head, mother. I just cannot think like Naruto…" He frowned when he thought that his mother was trying to make him be like Naruto or at least comparing him to the blond.

Mikoto shook her head. "You cannot think like Naruto… it works for him because he is Naruto, but you are Sasuke, think like Sasuke and your things will work out well for you. Trying to be like someone else won't do you good…" the woman smiled brilliantly. "Besides, I love you for who you are. I will not ask you to be like Itachi or Naruto."

Sasuke smiled and almost thanked his mother, but Naruto was sitting right there. He didn't want to act like a child in front of the blond. He could see the kind of look he would receive. Then again, what could Naruto say when he was obsessed with his mother?

 **End of chapter**

 **I have been a little lazy with my duties. But I was finally able to get it done.**

 **The story is going to take a serious turn from now on. and I know there are some people who wanted to see blood, but I could not quite draw up that scene. I hadn't planned on showing it anyway and I cannot say I will do a flashback of it.**

 **What else is there left? If there is anything I missed, feel free to pm me.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Jiraiya looked at Naruto with a stern look on his face, he didn't want to believe what the blond had just said – it wasn't anything wrong, it was just that it came as a surprise to him given the situation that the village was in. Naruto wanted to leave Konoha, not permanently, but for some time away to train.

He had been doing just fine inside this village, so what was the problem now? He had disappeared once when things got tough, but things were not that tough now. Actually, they were good. The villagers appreciated Naruto's efforts as a shinobi and were actually coming in terms with the fact that he was actually Minato's son.

"Things have changed for you, Naruto. You no longer have to worry about someone attacking you or the villagers throwing things at your house. Your mother can smile walking around the streets and no one will throw straight glares at you," Jiraiya tried to reason with Naruto.

For sure, even if the villagers were changing, Naruto was not. The blond still looked at them with contempt, or just indifference. Perhaps the right term was the latter. He could not go as far as to say that Naruto hated the villagers of this village, he didn't like them, yes, and saw them as low life creatures who didn't deserve to be humans, but he didn't despise them.

It was almost as if the actions they took were expected of them. You expect evil to try to ruin your life. Naruto expected the villagers to act in the way that they had been because he believed it was their nature. Snakes would bite and spit out venom; dogs would bark and try to take a bite – it appeared to be the theme when Naruto dealt with the villagers.

"I have never said that things were the same, Jiraiya," Naruto responded in a calm but firm tone.

Things have changed, he was willing to admit that. He had confessed it to his mother and everyone who knew him. He was feeling slightly alive and somewhat happy. There was no longer a load on his shoulders; the heavy yoke that he had been carrying was removed from his shoulders.

He was free.

Things had changed, Konoha was changing, but he was not. Naruto would always be Naruto. Yes, he would eventually have to adapt to his surrounding to accommodate it, but his objectives hadn't changed that much. Things around the village were just changing, but this was still the Hidden Leaf. Nothing would last forever.

A single thing that proves to be suspicious, everything would be forgotten and they would return the wounds of the past.

"Then why do want to leave Konoha?"

"I thought I explained that clearly for you to understand. You are not a simple man who fails to grasp complex terms… why do you look so baffled by a simple statement?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "I just want to know why? I can't understand the reasoning and the timing of your thoughts."

"You don't have to understand it really," Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "But it makes things easy for me if you do understand it. Still, it is making me feel slightly annoyed that you cannot seem to understand why I need my time away from the village to train. Simple things you must understand, Jiraiya."

The Sannin didn't like the way Naruto was talking to him. Perhaps he just didn't want to think of the reason, he just wanted Naruto to explain. The blond's tone had a hint of impatience in it. It was for the first time that he got the feeling from the blond. Naruto was good at masking his emotions. Was he just that annoyed?

"I understand you want to get strong, bu-"

"If you're going to ask me, why I wish to get strong, you can stop Jiraiya. I honestly do not have the patience to answer 'rhetoric' questions…" Naruto cut off the Sannin in a hardened tone. "Have you heard about the Akatsuki?"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. The fact that Naruto seemed a little snappy today was out of his mind. Naruto seemed to know something and unless he was getting old and forgetting easily forgetting things, he had not told the blond about the organization and its intensions.

But if the blond knew about it, then there were no problems for him to seek out training. But who would protect him against S-rank shinobi? Naruto was strong for someone his age but he wasn't all mighty that there was nothing he could not handle.

"Finally, you seem to be thinking," Naruto said with a sigh. "I heavily rely on the Kyubi's power when in trouble. Perhaps for now it is because I have reached my limits and need something to break those boundaries to meet the challenges I am facing, but I still need to be strong enough to fight on my own.

The same thing can be said about Sasuke. He is going to inherit the Uchiha clan from his mother, and he will need to be strong enough to handle everything. As the days go on, the Sharingan becomes a rare commodity that many would kill for. He will need to protect his clan while his mother rests.

I have my own problems that I must solve, but there is nothing wrong with trying to become strong enough to defeat your enemies. We are not trying to gain more power simply because we are power hungry; it is only the realization that there are mountains that will crush us in our current form.

I do not wish to be powerless in my life. I don't wish to face a situation I will be unable to do anything about. If I can train my body to handle the challenges that this cursed world can throw at me, then I will not hesitate to do so. Maybe some will say I am power hungry, but I do not care. I am not killing anyone to become strong, but merely utilizing what I have to get strong on my own."

"That is interesting coming from someone so young," Shikaku suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Neither Naruto or Jiraiya appeared surprised by the man's presence. "You give off some good reasoning. What I expect from you. My son speaks highly of you… he has often admitted that you will be a frightening person when you grow up."

"Praise from a Nara, I will take it," Naruto said with an expressionless look on his face. He said nothing further, and did not attempt to study the Nara – he was certain he would only get that bored expression that would not reveal anything.

"Well, it is the reality," Shikaku said. "What do you want to protect, Naruto?"

"What is important to me…" Naruto said, he did not specify what. "That can be done while in this village. I realize that this village means a lot to my mother, and I have grown quite attached to Mikoto, leaving her behind would be rather sad. As you can see, when I move, Sasuke moves. Sasuke is attached to this village because of his clan – that is something he will not abandon."

"And as someone who likes moving around with 'tools' to use, it would not be in your advantage if you left him behind, given everything you have done for him," Shikaku said without looking at Naruto. "I want you to admit something to me before I say I can I will support your decision to leave the village, for now."

Shikaku was the Jonin commander and a very respectable man. Hiashi held much pull when it came to political power, but within the village's military, the Nara was the boss. He was the kind of person you tried to listen to when he was talking, because simply, he did not waste his breath talking nonsense.

"I planned it; it was either that or I leave Konoha. Escaping the village carried some risks as I would be hunted down… that would have make things difficult. The only option was to get rid of Danzo. I also did you guys a favour… he should have been killed long ago, but the Sandaime allowed it to play for too long," Naruto responded calmly.

Shikaku managed a small smile. He did not say what, but the blond had responded because he knew what he wanted. "Obviously you did not do it alone, you had some help. I can't say from someone who is currently a shinobi of this village… I have my thoughts, but I will not voice them. I will talk to the other head clans, and you can leave, but on one condition…"

Naruto stood up from where he was sitting, "I will let you know, but only you. I'd like to keep my movements a secret to avoid unnecessary disturbances." Naruto walked away after saying those words.

Jiraiya stared at the back of the blond haired Uzumaki for a while before turning to Shikaku, "Was it safe to allow him to leave alone?"

"Yes," Shikaku said with a nod. "We don't have to worry about his safety or anything. He will return to this village. I'm sure he was only 'asking' to simplify things. His mind had already been made up on leaving, and even if we had said no, he would have still leave. It is best to allow him to leave on our terms."

"I wanted him to accompany me to fetch Tsunade," Jiraiya said. "But he isn't the greatest person for that kind of a job."

"True. You should depart soon; Konoha cannot keep going on without a Kage. Tsunade has to come back to this village, Jiraiya. She cannot be allowed to roam freely. She has done a great service to the village in the past, but we need her now."

The Toad Sage nodded with a firm head. "I won't come back unless she is by my side." The Sannin promised.

Shikaku nodded. "Although it is a bothersome, I will handle most day to day duties of managing things along with Hiashi until you return. We will try to keep information contained within the village, but sooner or later, the villagers will start asking who will become the next Kage. I hope by then, you will have returned."

 **Hyuga Compound**

Hiashi stared at his elder – who had quite honestly surprised him during the Chunin exams. She had requested a meeting with him, he did not know what for, but Hinata had never shown this much boldness before. Perhaps he should be grateful to the Uzumaki, but he was not.

A part of him believed that Hinata always had it in her.

If she can pull the same courage and strength as she did during her fight against Neji, then she would prove to be a huge surprise, but good for the clan. The Hyuga clan needed strong leaders, and as his daughter, Hinata had to be strong.

"Tell me, Hinata, did you hold back in your fight against Neji?"

He was certain that if Hinata had wanted to win the match, she could have won it. It was apparent that her agenda wasn't to win the match but to prove a point and she had proved it alright. She had done it expectedly. He was not proud, but he was happy that she was showing changes.

"I can't say I held back, but I think if I was fighting to win, I would have won the match," Hinata responded calmly.

"Why did you not try to win the match?"

"I just wanted to prove a point, and if I had defeated Neji before I can help him, things would have been difficult."

Hiashi was silent for a few moments before nodding. "Why did you call this meeting?"

"I wish to be given the right to challenge my young sister so that I can reclaim what I lost to her," Hinata said. The position didn't mean that much to her, but she just wanted to be able to protect her sister. She could not have her younger sister shouldering all the responsibilities. Besides, she needed to change the clan. The ways of the clan are what has brought the resentment within the clan.

She wanted to change that resentment into love.

Family wasn't supposed to be in the way that the Hyuga was. They were cousins, not enemies. Neji treated her like an enemy, but they were family. It wasn't just Neji, it was with most members of the branch family. Of course none of them boldly displayed it in the same manner as Neji in fear of the cursed caged seal.

"I see," Hiashi paused. He had expected as such after hearing what she had said during her match with Neji. He had spoken to the prodigy to clear some things about his resentment and why his father died instead of him. He believed things would change now.

"Neji," Hiashi called. "Come in."

The Hyuga stiffly walked into the room and greeted Hinata. The girl returned the greeting with a warm smile.

"You won't face your sister, but your cousin. If you defeat Neji, you will reclaim what you lost. But in return you will no longer be associated with Uzumaki Naruto."

He did not want that kind of a crowd anywhere near his daughter. It wasn't anything personal against the Uzumaki, but the rumours that were making rounds within some powerful circles were making him think twice. There was a lot more going on with the blond and he had to keep his daughter out of it.

Despite everything, Hinata was still his daughter, and even though he had been tempted to shift her towards the branch family for her lack of a spine, she was still his daughter and with the brave new face she was showing now, he could not discard her.

Naruto represented a threat to this. The blond Uzumaki was a dangerous person… Hiashi would admit that to himself, but not to anyone. Besides, there was a possibility of the boy influencing the decisions that Hinata made. If she became clan head like that, Naruto would have influence over the clan. He could not have that.

This was why he needed to cut off the relationship now before it blossomed into something dangerous.

"Why father?" Hinata asked in a quiet tone.

Hiashi glared harshly at Hinata for questioning him. "Are you questioning my decisions, Hinata? Have you forgotten who I am?"

"I meant not to disrespect you father, but you have to understand, I am what I am because Naruto took his time to train and teach me things. He even allowed me close to his mother. I assure you, many people do not get that privilege," Hinata explained in a light tone. "It would be somehow if I just ended the relationship after everything. Naruto would feel betrayed."

"It doesn't matter what he feels. You have to think about the clan now," Hiashi stated firmly. "Nevertheless, I will thank Naruto personally for his role. I cannot ignore it, but this has to be done or you will remain as you are… Hanabi will remain clan heiress."

"I understand, father," Hinata said humbly.

 **Training ground 7**

Naruto looked at Ino with an impassive look on his face; he had said he would train the girl, but that was impossible now because he was leaving the village. She would no doubt throw a tantrum over the idea of abandoning his duties towards her, but there was nothing that could be done – he had to leave and Ino had to stay behind.

He was within training ground 7 – the ground in which so many things happened in his time with Team 7. He was still a member of the team, but he was sure that by the time he returned to this village, he would no longer be a member. He would be focusing on much more greater things in life than playing teammates.

"I don't quite remember the last time it was just me and you sitting under a tree," Naruto said looking up into the tree.

Things have changed drastically between him and Ino. Maybe so because his mother had now shifted from the Yamanaka towards the Uchiha. Since the incident, she has spent much more of her time with Mikoto than with Ino's mother. She still did go there to help when she could, but Naruto could not remember the last time he went to the place.

He had no desire to even be there. Then again, he only went into the shop because his mother was there. Perhaps the fragrance was flowers was lovely, and peaceful, but if it wasn't the fact that his mother visited the place, he would never have set foot at the Yamanaka flower shop.

"You have been ignoring me lately… I apparently don't matter anymore," Ino responded in a quiet tone, looking down the ground instead of Naruto.

"I wouldn't say that," Naruto said. He would not say she was useless to him because of her weak-minded attitude. Maybe she was not useful, but to say that she no longer mattered would not be the truth. "We did have some memories that annoyed me. I cannot forget those. If anything, you were the friend that I had when no one else wanted to be friend. I at least can appreciate that."

"From where I am standing, it doesn't look that way," Ino responded. "You have been ignoring me…"

"Maybe," Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I've been a lot more focused on my duties. I am a shinobi and you are not. Maybe you wear a headband, but you're still living in the dream world. Our worlds are far apart. There would be nothing to talk about."

"Our worlds have always been far apart, Naruto," Ino stressed. "Even so, I could always count on you. I could always come to you, but you have changed. When you're not doing missions, it is Hinata or Sasuke and the rest of the time it is your mother."

Naruto was silent for a long minute. "I won't be able to train you, Ino. One thing I have always liked about you is your perceptiveness, and keen mind. I will miss that, but I cannot train you because I will be gone from the village by tomorrow."

Ino's head snapped towards Naruto as she stared at him. "What?"

"Only for a couple of years in order to train," Naruto said.

Ino stood up, "I see," she said walking away. She did not say anything further, just walked away. Naruto did not stop her.

The blond merely settled on his back entered into a staring contest with the leaves. It was so peaceful now in the Hidden Leaf that he could even doze off without worrying. There would be no villager who would bravely attempt anything, Danzo was gone and the Sandaime Hokage was also gone. He was free to relax.

He could still not get used to the feeling. A part of him of just wanted to enjoy it while a part of him felt bored with just sitting around with nothing to do to. Before this 'peace' there always something that he needed to think about, something he had to do.

Naruto closed his eyes and his mind as well.

"I thought you were going to leave before I could talk to you," Hinata suddenly spoke, causing s Naruto's eyes to open slowly. "My father informed me that you would be leaving the village for a couple of years."

"Do you have something you need to tell me?"

"I spoke to my father and he gave me the chance to reclaim my right to be clan heiress… I had to fight Neji though, but it was something that had to be done…" Hinata spoke calmly.

"I see," that was all that Naruto could offer in response.

For now, he had no use for Hinata. He had given her enough to stand on her own feet. The fact that she was able to stand before her father without shrinking meant that he had done a great job. It was a beautiful job that he had done and now it was all over, she could stand to walk on her own without him glaring at her by the side-lines.

Of course she would be needed so or later after he does return to the village. The Hyuga was an important clan within the village after all. He would find a good use for it. For now, Hinata could do as she pleased, he would not care but when the time does come, he would care.

"The condition that my father set for me to reclaim what I lost was that I cut all my ties with you," Hinata said in a much quieter tone.

Whether Naruto was surprised or not, it did not show, the blond Uzumaki didn't even give it much thought. "We are all selfish in some parts. No matter what, humans will always take a decision that suite them best regardless of what. For your case, it is understandable. Protecting your sister and saving your clan has always been your goal. Maybe I would have been disappointed if you didn't make the choice you did."

Hinata smiled, relieved. She had thought Naruto would understand, but she was not completely sure. Hearing him say it with his own words made her feel relieved to say that she didn't make the wrong choice and she had not been wrong about Naruto.

Her father was the one who was wrong, but for now, she would just have to keep those thoughts to herself. She could do nothing now. She was after all just a mere brat. She would have to grow into the clan and a lot stronger for her word to actually mean something. Hinata would grow. If she did not, nothing would change.

She didn't hope of cutting her ties with Naruto. She would go with what her father was saying for now, but as time goes on, he would have to forgive her. Maybe she would work on changing his mind about Naruto. Nevertheless, for now, there were no problems because Naruto was leaving the village. She would not have contact with him and she would not be worried.

Naruto wasn't the one who needed her to worry for his safety.

 **About an Hour Later**

Naruto was sitting atop of a tree within the Forest of Death. It was a bit inconvenient to relax within the within the village when he had eyes watching over him. There was no one that could order Anbu to spy on his movements… perhaps the village's councils or the commander of the forces, but he should not hold that much importance that those people feel the need to watch him.

Perhaps there was a certain bird saying that he was a flight risk. Naruto did not imagine abandoning Konoha at this stage. Everything was well set for his life to be memorable and without many troubles. His mother was happy here. She had Ino's mother and Mikoto. She had this village that she seemed to care for despite everything it has done to them.

Naruto could not simply wish to take that away from his mother. He understood that it was possible to form new relationships with those around, but his mother was content with being in the Hidden Leaf.

He would die before robbing his mother of her own happiness.

Naruto could adapt anywhere he went – he didn't think much of humans anyway. They were more like the same to him. Most of them were just monkeys in a zoo and some of them were just weed that needed to be rooted out. He would not deny that there were good people in this world. An experience with Hinata had taught him that much.

Naruto's train of thoughts came to a halt when a white masked man flashed beside him. He didn't look at the man though, he merely stopped thinking and opened his ears to hear what the man was saying.

"Orochimaru was seriously wounded during his fight with the Sandaime Hokage… at this stage; it is safe to say that he is incapacitated. The Sandaime took away his ability to use Ninjutsu by sealing away his hands."

"So, he is weakened," Naruto said in thought. This was a good chance to take care of the snake Sannin. The world would be much better if a despicable person such as the snake wasn't alive. Naruto snorted at the reason – like he cared.

His main reason for wishing for the snake to be dead would be that Orochimaru caused the invasion of Konoha. He was the one who manipulated the council of Sunagakure and the one who killed Rasa. He could give the man some credit for not allowing himself to be manipulated. If he was killed, it meant that he had not given Orochimaru any chance at all.

While he might not have grown attached to the man, he could give him the credit of dying while refusing to betray the trust his mother had placed on him. To the Uzumaki, that meant that the man was trustworthy and Orochimaru was not. To say the snake was two-faced would be an understatement; he was multi-faced.

"But still a Sannin regardless. A dog is much more vulnerable when it is backed against a corner. I'd say Orochimaru will be much more cautious now and deadly. But when he regains his strength, he will turn back to his normal arrogant self," Naruto said. "I can wait, but I will have to confirm everything myself. Anything else?"

"Koharu and Homura are plotting something; they are rather displeased with the turn of events…"

The man was saying that they were unhappy with the fact that he had a hand in killing Danzo and that none of the Council members seemed to care about the death of the man. The idea that he may have had a hand in it might have come and the others might have shot it down.

Those two would probably attempt to prove that he was indeed involved, if not, they would surely try to campaign against him by seeking out the villagers and drive their propaganda. For a second, Naruto thought it would be too much of a hassle to deal with it and those two would need to be erased, but he shook his head.

He didn't have to kill everyone.

If he tries to have them killed, it would only cause more problems as if he could be leaving a trail of blood which would eventually connect to him. The village could handle the mess. Shikaku and Jiraiya would certainly do something to repel the elders from playing their trade.

"Is Shikaku aware of it?"

"It is a possibility; Hiashi may know. Shikaku isn't sitting inside the Hokage office, but the Hyuga head is."

Naruto didn't find that to be surprising. If Shikaku was like his son then it was a possibility then, he would rather play the supporting role than take the lead. It was even troubling in this situation because being Hokage required much more work to be done and with what has happened, management of everything would require a lot of effort.

A Nara would certainly do everything to avoid something that would require too much energy.

"I hope Shikaku does something before they get bold enough to do something unwanted. In any case, keep watch, and we will 'negotiate' to keep them silent if it comes to it."

"Hai," there was a pause as the man seemed hesitant to ask what he wanted to ask.

When working with Danzo, you didn't have to voice your thoughts, you merely did what you were instructed without questions and without fail. The man did not tolerate failure, but Naruto wasn't that much of a dictator and a control freak.

"Speak your thoughts," the blond Uzumaki said calmly.

"Why 'negotiate?' It would be quite easy for us to silence them without leaving any evidence behind."

"I don't doubt that," Naruto started. "But you people still have a goal to protect Konoha. Their efforts to ruin me would destabilize the calmness that was brought up by the man who claimed to have done the deed. And besides, there is a certain boundary that I cannot afford to cross. My actions were tolerated, but anything more will not be. The best thing I can hope for if I do something they don't like would probably be a time to runway before they can give chase."

Not every action would be tolerated. Naruto did not want to test how far they were willing to tolerate some of his actions. It was better to not to find out the hard way. So far, it was good and he would not be making stupid moves. His mother would not suffer because he could not keep things under control and was acting like a bloodthirsty murderer.

The man seemed to think about it before nodding. "I understand," he said. "Should we continue on the surveillance of Orochimaru?"

Naruto nodded, "But have Sai do it. He will be suitable for this kind of mission. I want confirmation on whether the redhead with the snake is really an Uzumaki or not. If so, then she must be removed from the lair."

"As you wish…"

 **Sunagakure**

Baki thought it was best decision to allow Gaara or Temari to become the Kage of the village he loved dearly. Kankuro was out of the picture since he wasn't suited for the job. Temari had her own issues, which would make her a difficult Kage. There was nothing wrong with allowing a woman to become a Kage.

When looking at it, Baki thought Gaara was most suited. He was much calmer than his siblings were and thought a lot more before he took his decisions. Temari was prone to burst ups with her hot temper and Kankuro – well, he was just Kankuro.

Gaara would do just fine and since he was the son of the previous Kage, it would be no problem. Maybe some people would be against the idea given his past, but Baki would not allow something like that to stand in the way of Suna's survival. They could not allow just anyone to become Kazekage.

Someone trusted who would not come with any other intensions was needed in that tower.

"You seem conflicted," Gaara said to his sensei.

The man had always kept his emotions, hidden, but today he could see some. Perhaps it was because he had become a good reader of people's emotions with the years of pain and suffering.

"There has been a lot of think about," Baki responded calmly. "Naruto was here yesterday and he slaughtered all members of the village's council for their role in the invasion. He knew that they had supported the idea and got rid of them for it."

Gaara showed no outward reaction to it – he wasn't surprised. Naruto would not forgive anyone who placed his mother in harm or threatened her peace. Surely, the invasion had its damages, and the blond had been disturbed by it. Perhaps the major fact that made things worse was the thought of betrayal.

Naruto expected more from Suna, not to be stabbed in the back by the village. If the council had known about the invasion and had actually supported it, then he would no doubt put them in the path of his sword.

If he had known about it and had willingly kept it from him, Naruto would not have stopped in his assault. Maybe he would have ended up killing them. Gaara didn't put it past the blond to do something so brutal.

"You're not surprised," Baki said.

"There is no reason to be," The Jinchuriki said. "He did chase after us with the intension to kill us. Only stopped when we explained that we didn't know. If we had known, maybe I wouldn't be alive at this point."

Of course there was still was resentment or maybe just lack of love for his brother. Gaara was sure that no matter what, Kankuro would not be liked by Naruto. It was a wonder why the blond Uzumaki hadn't thought of attacking him. Well, he was not complaining. He still had his brother. He had already lost a mother and a father; he did not wish to lose any more precious members of his family.

"He chased after you and still listened to you," Baki said in surprise. "I imagine if he came after you with intensions to kill you, he would have been infuriated. Yet, he was able to let that anger pass…"

"Naruto isn't the one to give into his emotions. He reasons before he acts. Perhaps he tries to avoid making mistakes by rushing in recklessly without understanding things. He allows logic to rule over him and I don't think he wanted to do anything that would upset his mother," Gaara explained lightly.

If Naruto had killed them knowing that they hadn't known anything about the invasion, his mother would have surely been displeased by it. The redhead Uzumaki had come to love them and she cared for them. If something bad happened, she would obviously be worried.

Naruto would not intentionally do something that would worry his mother. She did come out on top of everything. At least that was what Gaara had learned and he was sure that everyone who knew the blond Uzumaki knew it as well.

Well, at least these days he didn't show it as much as he used to. The blond could afford to stay away from his mother, but she was always in mind and she could never be forgiven. Perhaps the change came with growing up and learning new emotions that refused to be expressed.

"That is at least something good," Baki acknowledged. "If he allowed his emotions to rule him, he would certainly not be the kind of person he was. I guess for him staying rational and logical at all times is must. One wrong move and he could find himself in trouble."

Gaara thought for a few moments before nodding. "He would make enemies… but as he is, he isn't the one to be making enemies. He mostly ignores the things that around him unless they affect him. Well, in this world it doesn't matter if you do things that will attract enemies or not, for no good reason, people will be after your head."

"Simply because we live in the shinobi world. Anything can happen in this world and you should be careful with how you deal with things," Baki said firmly. "Your father knew Suna's position in the Great Five Villages, yet that didn't make him plot sinister moves to try to get Suna on top. He planned properly for something that would last.

"In any case, I want to inform you that after slaughtering the council members, Naruto said he wanted you to become the next Kazekage. I don't know how we are going to go about that. I guess even if he hadn't said anything, I would have still cast my vote for you to become the next Kazekage."

Gaara was silent for a few moments as he thought for a few things. Leading this village meant taking responsibility for everything that happened leading to Suna's invasion in Konoha. But this also gave him the chance to protect the village he loved and ensure that something that happened before would not happen again.

Mistakes of the past could not be repeated in the future or it would mean the end of this beloved shinobi. If he became a Kage, how would things be? Would the villagers even accept him? They no longer hated him as they used to since Kushina fixed his seal, and things have been better, but becoming a Kage would be a different matter.

He wouldn't even be surprised if some even whispered that he had become 'nice' just for them to lower their guards so that he could take over the village. The human mind had no limits to what it could think.

"When?"

Baki blinked in surprise before shaking his head. "I didn't think you'd be so eager for it. When you become a Kage, you don't live for anything but your village. Your father was willing to sacrifice even his own family for the village. Even the great Minato Namikaze sacrificed his life and his son for the future of Konoha. Do you think you can carry out that much weight, Gaara?"

"I have never been afraid of a challenge, but this is much more than just a challenge. This is a chance to live, to do something good. Some of my past actions were not just, this village has also fallen, it would be an honour to pull up my sleeves to attempt to bring out to the light…"

Besides, if he didn't step up, his sister would be used for political gains. He could not have that. He loved her dearly that he would not stand to watch it happen, even it would mean that he would make some people angry.

"Then before I leave you to think about things, you must also know that Temari will have to be used… I don't like using the word, but there is no better word to it. Danzo was still willing for her to be married to Naruto… we may have to propose that with the next Kage. At least with him, it is someone you know, someone who would not hurt your sister."

Gaara didn't say anything in response as Baki left, but he did understand what the man was saying. Well, he was never against the proposed marriage in the first place.

The question now was whether Naruto would still treat them the same after everything. He had come here to this village to slaughter the council members and left without saying a word to them. The invasion had changed things, it was reasonable to think that the blond would not treat them in same way he used to.

Would he be cold? Would he even be good to Temari as he had been? The blond might even refuse the deal this time. Perhaps maybe he would agree if his mother pushed him towards it. Gaara didn't know what would happen. He would have to speak to the blond to understand where things stood with them.

"You appear to be in deep thought, something bothering you?" Temari asked her brother as she walked up to him.

"Naruto was here yesterday, apparently to slaughter the Council members for their role in the invasion," Gaara responded calmly, his eyes fixed on his elder sibling.

Like him, Temari did not show any surprise. "Did he do it? I haven't heard anything about it."

Gaara nodded. "He did it. They are probably keeping it a secret just so the villagers don't panic. We don't have a Kage and are in trouble with Konoha over our role in the invasion and now we lose the council… the village is basically a mess at the moment. Some people would rather abandon the ship rather than sink with it or even try to save it. If people start to leave this village, it will not survive."

 **Night**

Yugao was slowly walking along the bright night streets of the Hidden Leaf with Naruto by her side. They were coming from the Senju compound and perhaps out of sentimentality, Naruto had decided it would be best for them to take a walk. She could sense Anbu watching them and some hopping through the rooftops, going about their business.

Naruto seemed ignorant of the world around him, but Yugao knew better. She had worked with him in Anbu after all.

"Say, Naruto," Yugao started calmly. "What is your relationship with Mikoto-san?"

Naruto turned his head to face the woman over the strange question she had just asked him. Her expression said she was being dead serious. If it wasn't for the looks she had been giving him and Mikoto, Naruto would not have responded to the question…

"That explains your looks, why do you ask, Yugao?"

Yugao thought about dropping the matter given Naruto's tone, but this was something she could not just drop like that. It wasn't like Naruto was suddenly going to say he was leaving her behind because she was asking too many questions.

"Well, it is just that the ways she treats is a little creepy at times. She makes you as a man, but you're just a kid…" Yugao paused for a moment as a thought of a few things. Considering what she has seen from him, she could not really say that with confidence, even though he was really just a kid. "Well, in body at least."

"Most of the times, I can pretty come to a conclusion on what people are trying to say to me by thinking, but the subject doesn't interest me, I don't bother trying to understand it or even think much about it," Naruto said. "If you want to keep this going, be more clear because I will not say the words you're afraid to say.

But to answer your question, Mikoto is to me…" he paused. "I don't know, but an important person both me and my mother. She calls me her hero, and I guess her existence made me feel some emotions I never thought I could experience in this godforsaken village."

"How important is she to you?"

"Irrelevant," Naruto said with a wave of her hand. "If she is important, she is important. I don't measure how. There are barely a handful of things I 'term' as important. Some things are just useful and some I like: those are disposables."

Yugao shook her head. He had no shame in saying that. Well, this was Uzumaki Naruto. She had to get used to it.

Still, it appeared that Naruto was oblivious of Mikoto's feelings to him. "You do understand the love between a man and a woman, right?"

Naruto did not offer a response.

"What if I told you that Mikoto likes you in a way a woman likes a man. It's immoral for a woman old enough to be your mother harbouring such feelings for a kid, but it is the truth. I don't even know what to think about it. If you were not Naruto, I would be repulsed by the idea," Yugao said, her eyes watching Naruto's body language like a hawk.

The blond offered nothing in return, "Ridiculous," the blond said.

"Why don't we go now and ask her. I'm sure she has yet to sleep by now. If we stop by the Uchiha compound, we can ask her and no doubt she will give an answer if you ask," Yugao spoke in a daring tone.

"I see no need to prove anything," Naruto said before pausing. "I must be bored indulging such conversation," the blond Uzumaki said in thought.

Yugao sighed knowing that just meant the end of the conversation. Naruto was not going to say anything about the matter, but she was determined that she would bring it up once more again. She was not going to end it here. Naruto would return to the village all grown up and no doubt he wouldn't be just a kid.

She wondered how he would react if Mikoto made a move though. Obviously, Naruto didn't out much emphasis on the things of the heart – well things that had to do with romance. He didn't seem interested in it, but at once did say that it would make his mother happy if he developed such feelings.

He said it, but it didn't actually mean that he was making attempts to develop those feelings or even try to learn about love. If he was not scheming, he was bored. Naruto would rather sleep than engage in mundane talk with anyone who was not his mother.

Well, there were exceptions.

 **Naruto's house**

Everything was well set for them to leave, nothing was missing. Itachi was already waiting in the planned location and Naruto was just going to grab a hold of everyone and then they would disappear in a flash. The Flying Thunder God had been learned for the protection of his mother, but now he was using it to make life much simpler.

Well, he could say the use of it now would be for the sake of his mother. The world was dangerous now, especially now that other villages had come to know that Konoha had been invaded, and although it won, it was wounded. For safety reasons, Naruto thought it best that he didn't travel through the Elemental Nations as it would increase the risk of coming across hostile humans.

It was just going to be two women and two 'kids'. Scumbags would be thinking of getting rid of the kids and then use the mothers. Naruto hated the thought… no, he despised the thought and such men who had those kinds of evil intensions.

If there was something that he would openly admit to hate, then it was those low life humans.

Kushina stared at Naruto for a long moment before taking her eyes around the house. She was certainly going to miss the atmosphere of the house she once shared with her beloved Minato. But she would still be happy with Naruto.

The last time they had gone out training, it had been fun. She met new people and assisted Naruto with his training. She had always been by his side when he trained. To give a few pointers there and there and to ensure that he doesn't overdo it.

It had been a refreshing time and she certainly hoped that this one would be as refreshing as the last trip.

"Did we say goodbye to everyone?" Kushina asked, looking around as if she had lost something.

"I'm good on my part," Yugao said. For her, it was just her former teammates in Anbu and maybe one or two friends – nothing more. She didn't have a lot of people she was familiar with. It was the life of an Anbu.

She was always busy with missions and the one relationship she had maintained with Hayate had been good and fruitful, but he had been killed. A part of her had felt as if she could no longer continue to live, but here she was. Although she was not part of this family, she felt part of it.

Naruto trusted her with his mother after all. How many could claim to have the honour?

Sasuke merely shrugged. The only person he could say goodbye to was his mother and that had been already taken care off.

"There is nothing left… it's not like we are leaving permanently anyway. We will come back to this village," Naruto responded calmly.

"I'm wounded that you don't think so highly of me, Naruto…" Kakashi suddenly said as he appeared in the room.

Naruto looked at the Jonin for a long moment. How could he have forgotten about the man who was as close to a family as anyone was? Kakashi had always been there for him, in training and just to stay close to him. the man might be tardy, but he had made time for him.

Things changed after Team 7. Yes, he had become much more focused on becoming a sensei and making Hinata stronger as well as trying to exorcize his frustrations over his lack of success in getting one over the Sandaime Hokage. How could he have forgotten about the man though?

"It was careless of me," Naruto said to the Jonin. "But I thought you were out of the village on the assignment Danzo had given you."

"He is dead," Kakashi said. "Can we talk?"

Naruto looked at his mother for a moment before nodding. "Follow me outside," he said.

Kakashi nodded and faced everyone else, "Well, Yugao, Sasuke, I will see you soon. Have a safe Journey, Kushina-san," the man said with an eye smile.

"You're going visit?" Yugao asked.

Kakashi merely gave an eye smile before following Naruto.

"He is going to follow us?" Yugao asked. As far as she was concerned, Naruto had not told anyone of his location, and not anyone in the council knew where they were going. She didn't even know herself.

"He will probably make visits every now and then," Kushina said calmly. "Well, Kakashi and Naruto have always been close, even if Naruto won't admit it or he just fails to realize it."

"He just refuses to admit it," Sasuke was quick to say.

At least that was a part of Naruto that Sasuke could say he knew. He didn't know everything but he knew everything that needed to be known. He could blame his mother for making him understand the blond. It wasn't that of a problem anyway as it made things easier for him because he was interacting with the Uzumaki on a daily basis.

 **Unknown Location**

Yugao was quick to get on her stance when the black eyes of Itachi welcomed them after disappearing from Konoha. She was thinking perhaps it was an ambush, but the fact that Naruto or anyone else seemed alarmed raised some questions but she still did not let her guard down.

Itachi looked at Naruto questionably.

The blond Uzumaki shrugged, "She doesn't know anything," he said.

A time to tell her had never came up or maybe he had never thought of informing her. She wasn't going to run now or anything. It wasn't like this was some kind of a conspiracy. A discovery like this was okay, she would see things herself instead of asking him many questions he would not answer.

Itachi shook his head. "I guess you thought it wasn't that important," the Uchiha said, turning to face Yugao. "Hello, Yugao-san."

"Itachi," Yugao more or less growled out the name. "Do you understand this situation Naruto?"

The blond merely shrugged. "Don't ask too many questions and keep some thoughts to yourself. You won't get in trouble with Konoha, either way."

"That isn't very nice thing to say," Kushina said to Naruto in a stern tone. "Don't worry, Yugao. Itachi means no harm. He is going to be training Sasuke for the next two or three years. Don't think of a traitor of Konoha; just think about Naruto's friend, Sasuke's brother, and Mikoto's elder son." The redhead Uzumaki said in a warm tone.

Yugao just stared; it was a little too much.

"Sasuke, you can go up and sulk up to your brother. I will talk to him tomorrow. This has been a rather tiring day and I would like to rest because tomorrow, I will begin my training," Naruto said calmly.

Sasuke glared.

"You're going to leave Sasuke to me? I thought you'd be interested in continuing with his training…"

Naruto shook his head. "I have taught Sasuke what I know… besides, I need to focus on myself. I would rather not get involved… I'm sure you two have your own issues to deal with. Sasuke would resent me for interfering with his time with his brother…"

"Before anything happens," Kushina was quick to say before Itachi could respond. "Show me the kitchen. I want to pack everything we brought and ensure that everything is well set. If you're going to start training tomorrow, you will need to have all the healthy meals you can get."

 **It surely took long to get this one done, but I have completed it. The next one will be posted in seven days… for real this time. I am completed about 7k words. I wanted to post them together, but this will do.**

 **Yes, we are going on a time skip. There won't be any major changes when we return for the second part. I'm still thinking on Mikoto and Naruto as a pairing. Sorry to disappoint those who wanted something to happen before the time skip, but Mikoto is a patient woman.**

 **Besides, I didn't want to scare Naruto…**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The Hidden Leaf once more again; Naruto did not feel anything when seeing the village. There wasn't a sense of happiness, a sense of calmness or just relief that they had made it after a long slow distance of travelling from the other nations that were not in the Elemental Nations.

The same could not be said about the two on his right hand – both his mother and Yugao appeared overjoyed about finally returning to what they termed as home. Well it can be called home because this is where they lived.

Sasuke had nothing on his expression to say he was happy to be back. Perhaps the events of the past years had been much more important to him than anything. Naruto could say his mother was also important. He could, but he would not. It wasn't his problem, he didn't have butt in on personal things.

Kushina breathed in the air from the Hokage Monument and smiled in content with her eyes closed. She was finally back home, after three long years in the wilderness. There had been no one she knew, just her little group along with Itachi for the first two years.

Missing home aside, the time away had been nice – they had created something of a small family. Every night they ate dinner together; it had been a rule she had enforced. She would have been willing to drag everyone else towards the dining room if they chose not to obey – with Itachi included.

"It really feels nice to be back home," Kushina said with a smile. "It doesn't appear to have changed though…" she had thought maybe there would have been changes, but there was nothing. It wasn't a bad thing either way.

"It really feels good," Yugao agreed. "I wonder what will be waiting for us now… but right now, I just want to go and see my friends. It has been so long since I last saw them. Since I am not a kunoichi now, I don't have to report to the Hokage. I'll see you guys later…"

She was still going to follow them around? No, Sasuke shook his head. She was merely going to be with Naruto's mother. He doubted she would even think of going back to where she once lived. She had a forged a good relationship with the Uzumaki, it was reasonable to assume that she would wish to live with them.

It was just a thought, one that didn't reflect on the expressionless mask on his face.

"Make sure you do come later, we have to talk about living arrangements," Kushina said to Yugao. The former Anbu nodded before disappearing into thin air.

Naruto didn't even want to think about where this was going. Right now, he just wanted to rest. It was still early morning; he could still see the day later on; there was nothing that he was going to miss anyway.

"Let us go the Hokage tower and report of our return before anymore plans come," Naruto said. It was best to do so. He didn't want to have to scare Anbu away in their attempts to force him towards the presence of the leader.

"You're awfully observant of rules when it is convenient," Sasuke commented idly. Naruto didn't care about rules, he worked things his way. However, when it was convenient, he went all his way to follow them.

"Rules have a time for application. If it doesn't work for me, I won't have to follow it," Naruto said with a shrug.

Sasuke merely shook his head. His expressionless face returned to full force as he spoke once more again. "Let us walk there," the Uchiha said forcefully. "I want to see how they react in our presence; I want to see if this village is really worth everything that my brother gave for it."

"You can do as you like, bu-" Naruto was cut off by his mother.

"Do something for Sasuke for once, Naruto. He has always done everything you say and if it were you asking, you would have forced him to follow. Be fair," Kushina said sternly.

Naruto's expression did not even twitch. "You can go; I will send a clone to walk with you. I want to get over whatever nonsense is waiting for me there before resting. We have hardly rested in the past week, and in the next, we will be busy once again."

"Acceptable," Sasuke said. "If there are problems, you will take the blame."

Naruto just created a clone and watched it disappear with the Uchiha. "Maybe I am a little interested in seeing how they will react in my presence. Well, the clone will share the memories once is dispels."

"I thought you would be," Kushina said with a smile. She really hoped that it would be positive, as it was positive when they left. She wanted Naruto's thoughts about the villagers to change. If that changed, she knew that her Naruto would become a different person.

"We are going to continue living in this village, no matter what, so we have to learn to understand it. We can't just ignore it. If we do that, we won't be living. You never really tried to understand them, somewhat understandable, and I cannot blame you for it, but things have changed now. You are no longer that child, and they no longer act in the same way as they used to it. We must all grow."

It was fundamental in a person's life to grow; Naruto understood that. He had grown, but growth came in different ways. Naruto was unique, he would grow differently and he would see things differently. He was not going to force himself to like anything that didn't do it for him.

"We just returned, there is time," Naruto was only willing to say that before disappearing along with his mother.

 **Hokage Office**

Tsunade stared at the two people who had just appeared in her office. A couple of seconds ago, she had been informed by her Anbu that they had returned to the village. Of course it wasn't just the two, there were two more others that were not present. The other was strolling through the village streets with what she now thought was the clone of Naruto.

She stared at the blond for a long minute or so. He really looked different from the picture she had with her: she wasn't staring at a teenage face, but a mature man's face. His body was also grown; he could pass as Kushina's man: there were two things that stood out the most though; the look on his eyes and the feeling that he gave off.

The feeling gave her the creeps – Kushina could not possibly be ignorant of it. It wasn't anything malicious or just pure evil, it was just that feeling of danger. There were certain people that gave you the feeling that they were not the kind to be messed with – this teenager was one who gave off that feeling.

"What can I do for you?" Tsunade asked the two, in a flat tone.

Before Naruto could say something that would piss off the Hokage, Kushina was quick to speak. "It's nice to see you again, Tsunade," the Uzumaki said with a small smile. "There is no need for such a tone, we are family after all."

Tsunade snorted.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this – not Tsunade's snort, but his mother's statement. "I hadn't given it much of a thought, but Mito is your grandmother. You do have some Uzumaki blood in you. I doubt it counts as something, but it doesn't take away that you do have it."

Someone with the Uzumaki blood was to be considered important. The dream to restore the clan was still alive and he would not perish in this world without forming something to bring about a start to the restoration of the clan.

"The only part that would make you say that is Mito," Tsunade said in a blank tone, staring at Kushina. She had obviously ignored Naruto's remark. If she had done it to get a reaction from the blond, she did not get it.

"Little as it is, it doesn't change the fact. Nothing is much more important than blood," Kushina responded calmly, not the least phased by the Hokage's stare. Tsunade wasn't the only one in the room with a strong personality.

Tsunade stared at Kushina for a few more moments before smiling slightly. "That aside, it is good to see you again. It has been quite long since I last saw you," the woman said in a different tone.

"Too long," Kushina said with a nod.

She could not forget. She had encounters with the woman. Mito was her grandmother after all; she had spent a lot time with the wife of Hashirama – a lot of time in her deathbed as she was being prepared to take over the duties of holding the Kyubi. She had done so, and now the responsibility had been passed down to her son.

Thanks to that masked man and Minato.

She did not hate Minato for it. He took the best decision for both Naruto and the village. Well, she could say it hadn't worked well for Naruto, but for the village, it had worked. The village was saved but Naruto had become miserable. He could have been a much more bubbly person who took after her had it not been for the Kyubi being sealed inside of her.

That was just hopeful thinking though. The past was the past. This was the present and they were building towards a better future. People could say what they wanted to say, but the past had made them stronger as a family.

"This must be Naruto," Tsunade said, turning her attention towards the blond once again. "I read your letters, very vague… I had to depend on Shikaku to interpret. I want a more detailed report on your abilities and Sasuke's. I want to know everything."

"That cannot be done," Naruto said in a flat tone. "Shinobi have their secrets and it doesn't matter if you're a Kage or not, but I will not divulge my abilities to you, especially when I am not obligated to do so." Sasuke walked into the room at that moment but Naruto just continued. "What you need to know is that we both are capable shinobis."

Jiraiya was the next to appear.

"Obligated?" Tsunade mused. "As far as I am concerned, I am your Kage and you are just a mere genin, do you really think that you can refuse my orders?"

"I was merely playing genin to indulge the Sandaime Hokage," Naruto said calmly. "I am a former Anbu. Rankings don't really matter to me either way."

"Let me put this in a way you will understand; if I am not convinced of your skills, I won't allow you to do higher ranked missions. You will do C and D ranked missions. I was informed that you were given the Senju compound, taking care of it will require funds, and if you aren't getting enough pay, you won't be able to take care of anything."

"My survival doesn't depend on shinobi pay. There are many ways to make money, but I do see your point…" Naruto paused when he got a look from his mother. "Nevertheless, I do not wish to form a troubling relationship with the Kage of this village. Arrange a match with anyone you like and I will fight them, that should satisfy you, right?"

"Acceptable," Tsunade said.

"Between the two of you, who is stronger? Last time I checked, Naruto was way stronger than Sasuke…. but a lot can change," Jiraiya asked with narrowed eyes. He could not tell just by looking at them, but what was certain was that both had become powerful – and In Naruto's case, much more dangerous.

"Who knows?" Naruto responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I'd like to know," Sasuke said. "Honestly, I cannot stand being called a genin, and I'm sure the others have grown in ranks by now. Over the past year, we have trained together and sparred, but never fought seriously."

"That can be arranged," Tsunade said with a smile. "Any objections?"

Naruto said nothing.

"Excellent," Tsunade. "Tomorrow morning; 11am sharp, be at training ground 7… Naruto, you're a former Anbu and your performance at the Chunin exams impressed many. Both Jiraiya and Kakashi have sung praised about your strength. If you impress me enough, I will give you the Jonin vest because you have done a number of A-ranked and an S-rank mission that qualifies you to become Jonin: as for you Sasuke, if you impress me, you can gain, special Jonin until you complete the number of missions required to become a full Jonin," The Godaime stated.

Sasuke seemed to smile at this, but Naruto's expression remained the same - slightly bored and a lack of other emotions.

"Both of you are dismissed… we will talk after your match, especially you Naruto – there is a lot that must be discussed."

"I assume it has something to do with Suna," the blond said, to which the Godaime nodded.

"I'm going home," Sasuke said to both Kushina and Naruto before disappearing into nothingness.

Kushina turned to her son. "I know you want to rest, so go rest at the compound; I want to clean our home first and I have to make a few stops."

Naruto stared at his mother for a few moments before nodding. He disappeared in a flash of black.

"Well, Jiraiya, Hokage-sama, I will see you tomorrow," Kushina said with a smile on her face before turning around to leave.

Jiraiya watched the Uzumaki disappear before speaking to Tsunade. "I wanted to fight Naruto, but I think this will be a good plan to see how both will perform. If we are to do by Naruto's reports, it is bound to be something special."

"If they don't hold back," Tsunade said strongly.

"I know they won't show everything, but Sasuke has always been in Naruto's shadow. He is an Uchiha and that comes with pride, he won't be satisfied to just fall back in defeat. He will give it the best he can."

"I'm hoping for that," Tsunade said with a sigh. "If they both stay grounded, they can become our greatest assets… if there are truths to the reports to the information Naruto was sending us."

 **Uchiha Compound**

Mikoto smiled brightly when her son walked in front of her; finally, she was seeing him after three long years. She had been in contact with him, once every six months, but she had never seen him. The communication was all written, nothing verbal. So to be able to see, hear and touch him made her feel very happy. She would be able to experience all the joy of communicating with her son.

"Sasuke," Mikoto said holding out her hands for a hug. The teenager walked up to his mother. He was glad no one was watching when his mother wrapped him up in a tight hug that left him slightly embarrassed.

"Mother," Sasuke still managed to respond with a small smile.

Mikoto let go of Sasuke and stared at his figure. He had truly grown. She could no longer call him 'Sasu-chan.' It was something else and he felt strong. This was her youngest son, and the hope of her clan. For now, her joy.

"You have truly grown, dear," she said. "Much more than I had anticipated, but this is all good. Give keep growing like this and in a couple of years you'll the man of this house," she said smiling.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Wasn't he man enough? He had grown and was all powerful. He wasn't the same kid he was when he left the village. Well, she was his mother. But Sasuke was certain that she would not say the same about Naruto. Seeing him, she would say that he had become a real man.

The Uchiha shook his head to clear those thoughts. "I have been training hard and eating healthy over the past years. Healthy diet and healthy training makes you grow quick and stronger…" Sasuke said. Well, that is what Kushina and his brother had said anyway. He could not prove them wrong.

"I knew you'd be in safe hands with Kushina," the woman said smiling.

If Sasuke had grown like this, then what had become of Naruto? She licked her lips in thought. She really could not wait to see him. She would go to see him now. She could not wait; she had been waiting for far too long.

"Mother," Sasuke started a sad tone. "About Itachi…"

Mikoto shook her head. "It is okay, Sasuke. I understand, there was nothing that could be done anyway. It was going to happen; at least he allowed something good to come out of it. Don't feel any guilt, I don't blame you. Besides, it was your brother's wish; we have to accept it."

 **Two hours later**

 **Senju Compound**

Naruto's eyes slowly opened; black eyes were staring back at him. He blinked, had he been that out of it that he could allow someone to get this close to him? No, the security around the house gave him the assurance to leave his guard down as he rested. No one with the intensions to do harm should be able to enter the house.

It was not guarded by the Root Anbu; he could not risk having those people seen by Tsunade's Anbu. It would raise a lot of difficult questions that he could not answer without getting in trouble with the 'law.' It was safe to keep them away. That didn't mean that there was not one or two within the village playing civilian.

Naruto focused on the eyes staring at him; he could not forget them – it was Mikoto.

She was lying on his bed, facing him. It was a rather unique situation. The only other woman he has found himself sharing a bed with was his mother – but that was long ago when he was still younger. He was curious though, what was she doing?

"Mikoto," the blond acknowledged the woman's presence.

Mikoto smiled brightly. "The Naruto I know is very dignified that he treats himself as royalty. He wouldn't have gotten in bed with his day clothes, were you that tired?"

"Yes," Naruto said with a small nod. "I have not been able to sleep in the past days as I have been preparing for my return.

"You were truly tired then, but if I had been an enemy, I would have killed you in your sleep," she said.

"If you were an enemy, you would have died the moment you stepped into the compound," Naruto responded flatly.

Mikoto merely smiled at the response. Perhaps that was true. There could be a clone or a craw with a Sharingan watching the compound. She stared into the eyes of the blond. It was a dull blue world that tried to suck her in. she blinked to break off the contact.

"Is life really that boring, dear?"

"You could say that," Naruto said after a long minute of silence, but he didn't explain any further. "What are you doing here? I would have come to your place to see you after I had rested enough."

"What do you think?"

"Are you perhaps sad about Itachi?" Naruto asked. For his mother, it has always been about comfort and nothing more. He had slept in the same bed as his mother to comfort her when she was sad, he could not think of any other reason than that.

Mikoto laughed – it was a small innocent giggle. "Despite everything, you really are innocent," she said. "I know you are tired, but I can't help myself."

Before Naruto could ask what was happening, Mikoto moved just inches closer before she suddenly got up and sat atop of him. Naruto faced her, his expression drawing a curious look.

Mikoto just smiled as she placed both her hands on his covered chest. She leaned closer and whispered into his left ear. "We are going to do something pleasant, don't try to fight, just allow me to please both of us, okay? And your mother must not know about this."

 **The following Day**

 **Training ground 7**

Tsunade was tapping her fingers by now, it was not yet time but everyone had gathered already for the match between Naruto and Sasuke. The latter was already present, but she could not see Naruto. From what she has known so far about the blond, he wasn't a tardy person and had a way about doing things.

"What is keeping, him?" Tsunade demanded impatiently. She turned to Kakashi, "He didn't pick up any of your behaviour did he?"

The Jonin smiled a bit sheepishly. "Of course not, Hokage-same," he said. "Influencing him like that is impossible."

"Your years away from the battlefield must have dulled your senses, hime," Jiraiya said with some mild disappointment. "Naruto has been here. He was here before Sasuke came. He acts in a dignified manner befitting nobles because he sees himself as a higher than other humans. In any case, he is sitting in the trees. Judging from everything, I assume he is meditating."

Tsunade frowned at her inability to sense the blond. She was only able to do so because Jiraiya had said so.

"I didn't notice him until a few moments ago. He hasn't been really trying to hide himself. I guess the fact that he is meditating is making it difficult to sense him," Kakashi weighed in a calm tone.

The Jonin watched as Naruto jumped from the tree he had been sitting on. His landing on the ground was as calm as a gentle breeze. There was no sound whatsoever, not even dust picking up. He moved with grace as he moved to the centre of the field where Sasuke was standing like a robot, head facing the ground.

The blond was wearing a long dark crimson coat that was closed off around his upper body, and parted below his waist; its collars were short; it had a black Uzumaki symbol on the back. He was wearing dark blue shinobi pants and shinobi boots. Konoha's forehead protector was tied around his forehead, slightly hidden by his hair.

It was different from Sasuke – who was carrying a long sword around his waist. Naruto had no visible weapon on him.

There was a crowd, much more than what Naruto had anticipated. It was not a problem. There were Anbu watching – that was expected, he didn't expect members of the graduation group to be present. Word does spread fast. And there was the old grown Hinata.

His eyes met with Ino's but the blonde haired Yamanaka responded with a blank stare. She looked away when Naruto's bored eyes lingered on her for a few moments.

Tsunade took the chance to speak. "Let me iron out a few things before you start; none of them are still genin. Shikamaru, Neji, Lee and Hinata have all made Jonin, the rest of them are Chunin. Shino should get his promotion soon. If you fool around, you won't get your promotion."

"I wasn't planning on fooling around," Sasuke responded calmly, his eyes staring at Naruto. "I know he won't fool around. He doesn't have time for jokes anyway."

Naruto did not respond, he merely examined the Uchiha.

"Good," Tsunade said firmly. "Begin," she said folding her hands across her chest.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke blurred away from existence. The Uchiha flashed behind Naruto slightly above the ground, his body twisting with his right foot aiming at the back of the blond's head. Naruto raised his right hand without even looking back at Sasuke. The hand reinforced by chakra blocked the kick.

Within a second of Sasuke's kick slamming into Naruto's hand, there was a sound if chirping birds as Sasuke charged a Chidori.

Naruto appeared to take a step forward before disappearing out of view. He appeared a couple of feet away with his hand still in the air – he was now facing Sasuke.

The Uchiha dispersed his jutsu as he landed on the ground. "Interesting," Sasuke said. "Normally, you make it a point of not moving in the few seconds of our sparring sessions. Well, I thought if I attacked like that you'd make movements."

"Your first mistake, Sasuke," Naruto said. "That jutsu takes away your chakra, and against me, you know that in a battle of endurance, you will not win. If you recklessly use chakra, you will lose it, your ability to use your greatest card in the Sharingan, and I will break you."

"You think I don't know that?" Sasuke asked rhetorically. "I have been fighting with you for a long year. I should know that I cannot win in a battle of endurance. Besides, this isn't a fight of endurance. Although I'd hate to lose in front of these eyes, I have to showcase my skills to get that promotion."

When Naruto said nothing in response, Sasuke took out his blade and began to charge towards Naruto head on with his blade cutting through the air.

In a second, he was twisting in front of Naruto, his blade cleaving through the air in blinding speed. Naruto took a step back to avoid the blade that would have cut through his chest, but as he touched the ground, another Sasuke flashed behind him, stabbing his blade through his back.

Naruto suddenly burst into crows. The black feathered birds flew a small distance away from Sasuke. They gathered around in a heap as Naruto formed once more again. He just stood there, watching Sasuke.

It was not going anywhere because Naruto didn't seem to have the appetite for engaging. The blond was not the one to play around like this, especially since he knew him better. When it came to Taijutsu, Naruto could predict him because he had formed a large part of his style. But of course with the evolution of his Sharingan he was able to mix it up.

Yet, that didn't change the fact that the blond had trained him and had trained with Itachi. He was very familiar with the Sharingan's ability and Sasuke had thought of a way to better the blond – speed. With enough speed, and his Sharingan's ability to see into the future, he could get the better of the blond, but in this battle, Naruto didn't want to engage.

Sasuke's blade burst with lightning before he charged towards Naruto once again. This time around, Naruto also moved towards him, matching his speed. The Uchiha held out his right hand, and a kunai popped up. In a quick motion, he flung the kunai in incredible speed, straight towards Naruto's forehead.

The blond ducked under the kunai as he continued to charge towards Sasuke; within a second, he was inches away from the Uchiha. Within a second, a Rasengan was formed on his right hand and charging towards Sasuke. The Uchiha blocked the strike with his sword.

Naruto suddenly disappeared and Sasuke suddenly twisted around, his body falling backwards; his sword flicked into his left whilst his right held a hand seal. " **Katon: Fireball no Jutsu**!" As that was happening, Naruto had appeared in front of the jutsu, facing the other way.

In response to the fireball charging towards his back, Naruto held out his right hand, " **Odama Rasengan** ," It also appeared in an instant and the blond slammed it towards the oncoming jutsu without turning around to face it. The main purpose was to defend him from the fire-based jutsu.

Sasuke flashed above the blond. Birds chirping on the blade of his sword, Sasuke stabbed it towards Naruto's chest. If it hit, it would be a fatal blow, but Sasuke was expecting Naruto to dodge. He was surprised when Naruto was only able to shift slightly and the blade pierced through his left shoulder.

Sasuke didn't allow his surprise to get the best of him. He spun around in mid-air and slammed a brutal kick onto Naruto's chest, sending the blond crashing into the ground. Naruto didn't allow his body to hit the ground, he held out both his hands and folded his feet, crashing loudly with the mobile parts of his body.

Sasuke flicked his blade into his left hand and formed a **Chidori** whilst still in mid-air. He blurred towards the downed blond, with intent to cut him with his jutsu.

Naruto reacted quickly by lifting up both his legs – he pushed his body into an upside position only balancing himself with his hands. He was able to dodge Sasuke's jutsu nevertheless and the Uchiha hit the ground in a loud boom.

Before he could move, Naruto's legs slammed onto both his shoulders, and the blond held the Uchiha in a hold, his legs locking around his neck. Without a second of thought, he let go of his hands, using Sasuke as balance and his hands flashed towards Sasuke's head. Once he had grabbed it, he slammed the Uchiha into the ground.

Naruto quickly let go of the Uchiha before making some distance. He frowned as he looked at his bleeding shoulder.

Sasuke suddenly flashed behind him; Naruto reacted quickly by shifting his upper body to the left when Sasuke's blade was thrust towards his back. It barely missed his body, but managed to cut through his coat.

When Naruto narrowed his eyes backwards, another Sasuke flashed above him, right moving blurring through the air as it moved towards his head.

" **Wind burst** ," Naruto uttered. It was a simple jutsu that merely blasted everything within a certain distance away from him. There was no large scale of the jutsu, just this one used as a last defence in case he could not shield himself against physical attacks.

"This is boring," Sasuke said, standing a couple of feet away from Naruto with his hands folded across his chest. "You're distracted. I certainly want to know by what because there has never been anything that has seemed capable of distracting you."

 **With the others**

"How can he say this is boring when we have been hardly been able to see anything because they are moving too fast?" Kiba more or less demanded. Perhaps he was feeling that the Uchiha was being smug. How was everything so far not impressive? It may not have had all the fireworks, but he would not go as far as to say it was boring.

"Because Naruto's mind is elsewhere," Hinata said in a calm, yet firm tone. "In all my days training with him, I have never seen him like this. Sasuke should not have cut him and he shouldn't have gotten behind him at this stage. I have to say I am rather shocked, perhaps even puzzled. I never thought this would be possible."

Shikamaru said nothing. He did have his own thoughts but he would not voice them. It was for certain that Naruto had his mind elsewhere. He still looked calm as he normally was. However, it was his fighting that gave it away. He wasn't being 'careless' it was just that people expected a lot better from him and besides, Naruto had always shown to be superior to Sasuke.

"It must be something nice," Kakashi said with somewhat of a perverted eye smile.

Jiraiya snorted, thinking of what the Jonin was suggesting. Naruto had never shown the slightest of interest in the opposite sex. But if something did happen, then that could only be the thing that could confuse him.

"If he doesn't get serious, he can kiss the promotion goodbye," Tsunade said in a firm tone.

 **Back with Naruto**

Naruto shook his head, his expression never changing. "I guess you're right. I have come to experience something unique, and it has confused me slightly. I just can't seem to get the experience out of my head," the blond stated.

Mikoto would certainly be pleased that she had left this kind of a mark on him, but it was not one that Naruto wanted. Well, it was only a matter of time before he could wrap his head around the experience. For now, he could just forget it and focus on Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "That is a surprise," he said.

His mother had returned home excessively excited, tired even. And she had been coming back from seeing the blond. Sasuke refused to think that his mother has something to do with Naruto's current state of mind.

"I wonder…" he shook his head and stopped talking.

Naruto held out his right hand, "It's about time we get this over with. I have maters to discuss with the Godaime Hokage."

 **About an Hour Later**

 **Hokage Office**

Naruto was sitting in the office with both Jiraiya and Tsunade watching him carefully, well, more like analysing him. He had yet to do something special to warrant this, but he guessed if the woman read his files, she would be careful in dealing with him. The Toad Sage had dealt with him in numerous occasions so, it was another debate.

The Godaime Hokage could not really understand what made the blond so special. Sure he was a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi and the son of the late Minato Namikaze, but he hardly represented any of that. The fact that he was a Jinchuriki had gone unnoticed during his fight with Sasuke, which was unusual for a Jinchuriki.

Perhaps it was because not everyone knew about it. However, as far as she was concerned, everyone who dealt with Naruto personally knew about it and he wasn't the sort of person who would hide what he was carrying in fear of being hated by his peers.

Of course, the Shinobi populace knew about it. How could they not?

The blonde Hokage sighed as she leaned against her chair. "First I would like to thank you for getting rid of Danzo," the woman said in a tone of authority. "The old man should have done it long ago, but he lacked the backbone to do so and instead allowed that treacherous man to continue living."

Naruto could debate that, with good factual and tangible evidence to back his argument. The Sandaime he had known was a cunning and manipulative old geezer who had no problems in trying to attach strings on anyone as long as it would benefit Konoha.

He could put the argument, but Naruto did not.

"However, should you do something like that without being given the order, you will face severe punishment in either death by execution or exile from this village," Tsunade added in the same tone as before. "The latter would do since you're a Jinchuriki. Trying to execute you would result in us freeing the Kyubi."

That was something she did not wish to do. Konoha had seen the Bijuu once and witnessed its power first-hand; another appearance would surely cripple the village. The village has been receiving heavy blows in the past and another one in the form of the Kyubi would leave it heavily damaged to the point where even Suna could take it down.

"I have no such plans," Naruto said calmly.

He could have told the Godaime Hokage that working up such meaningless threats to him would not work. Yes, if she wanted him to behave, she had to come up with something better, not such a blunt threat that failed to shake his fears.

Nevertheless, Naruto chose against voicing his thoughts once more again.

It would be troublesome to start a fight with the woman. A relationship with the Sandaime was forged based on mutual benefits. As long as he got what he wanted and Tsunade got what she wanted, they should all be happy, and he should have no problems in keeping the façade of an obedient shinobi of the Hidden Leaf.

He wasn't expecting things to go smoothly. There would be disagreements and he was sure by the time he leaves this place, there would be one already. This was all just a greeting.

"I hope so," Tsunade said with narrowed eyes. "We have made an agreement with Sunagakure on a new way forward to ensure that what happened in the past doesn't happen again. Your marriage with Temari will still go ahead, but this time, there will be no loopholes to get out of it. Whether you will it or not, you will get married to her. When you turn eighteen, she will move into this village."

Naruto's expression remained the same, slightly bored, lacking any real emotion on it.

It made Tsunade twitch slightly, but she did not comment on it.

Jiraiya spoke for the first time. "I guess this is something you expected." The Toad Sage said because of Naruto's lack of surprise in the news and the fact that Tsunade was forcing him to do it. He was sure if the blond had other thoughts, he would have put on an argument. After all, the Naruto he knew didn't dance to anyone's tune, unless it was his mother's or the Sandaime's.

"It was a reasonable path I saw as occurring," Naruto said. "Besides, keeping Temari in this village means that Gaara will not do anything stupid or allow his council to plot something behind his desk when he knows his sister – he cares deeply for – is in my hands."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes sharply. "I hadn't mentioned that Gaara was the new Kazekage. Your statement suggests that you know and that isn't something that has been made public," the blonde Hokage said. "I thought you would have more of a less brutal thought about the issue given your past relationship with those siblings."

"A matter of the past," Naruto said with an indifferent shrug.

"How do you know?"

"Any rational mind would assume the same," Naruto said flatly. "And you just confirmed that I am right. Besides, my statement didn't really say Gaara is the new Kage. I merely said he won't do anything stupid and won't allow his council to do anything stupid. Gaara is Temari's brother and 'his council' because he is a Suna shinobi. It all depends on a matter of interpretation. Not the most important detail, however," the blond paused for a moment as he changed the subject. "Is there anything else?"

"The Akatsuki…" Jiraiya said.

If he was expecting Naruto to add something, he was disappointed, the blond did not. "I'm listening," that was Naruto's response.

"This is a matter that affects Konoha's security, and we want your cooperation. You must know that they are after Jinchurikis and we can't let them get them when we don't know what they are planning. Resistance could leave this village open to attack from the organization," Tsunade said. She didn't have to add anything further about the matter for Naruto to understand what she had left unsaid.

"I will give you what I know," Naruto responded calmly. "But I have most things covered…" the blond paused. "I want to be given the same pass as Jiraiya."

Tsunade stared for a moment before bursting into laughter. Once she was done with her laughing, she said, "No," it was a firm no. "You not really someone we trust. If we trust you enough, then maybe we can think of something."

"I was merely making the suggestion to make things easy for you," Naruto said as he stood up. "Soon enough, you will reconsider. For now, I can let it slide…" He disappeared from the office.

"That was a rather measured display," Jiraiya muttered as Shikaku appeared from the shadows.

"But a smart move," the Jonin commander stated calmly. "He speaks less, much more measured. This is going to be troublesome. Well, at least there is no thought of him leaving this village. If he knows the threat of the Akatsuki, he won't risk leaving this village because it offers him protection and above all else, makes his mother happy."

"What is your judgement then?" Tsunade asked.

"Nothing to worry about, for now at least," the Nara said. "He will probably mind his own business and try to stay away from anything troubling. But since he asked for the same pass of that of a Sannin, I imagine he is going to be coming and going out of the Leaf regularly. That means he has connections outside, or at least places he wants to see to something. Without doubt it is nothing that will threaten Konoha, what it is remains the curious puzzle."

 **Ramen Stand**

Kakashi was sitting with Naruto at the ramen stand, both having meals. It was just after a few minutes after the blond left the Hokage's office.

"It has been long since we last ate here," Kakashi said quietly. "I am much more interested in what has been a distraction to you," the Jonin said with a knowing smile.

Yugao had whispered something into his ear after he had pressed for details. She had been with the blond for the past years, she had to know something. Sasuke didn't know and wouldn't have told him even if he knew. Asking Kushina was out of the question, so Yugao had been the only option.

"I was distracted but not anymore," the blond said calmly.

"Are you going to tell me?"

Naruto didn't say anything. Well, Kakashi was best suited for this. He definitely could not go to his mother, but Mikoto had told him not to say anything to anyone. He had said he would not, perhaps in the middle of his confusions over the emotions he felt.

It had certainly been a puzzling experience that left him with emotions he had never thought he would feel, and an experience he didn't think was quite possible. It had happened, nevertheless. Whether it was good or bad was an argument that he was afraid to have. He didn't want to admit that he had enjoyed it, that the feeling that been pure ecstasy.

Naruto cleared his thoughts without letting it show that he had allowed himself to drift away into his thoughts. "There is nothing to tell, Kakashi."

"Oh, come on," Kakashi pouted. "Does it have anything to do with Mikoto-san?"

Well, Yugao had suggested it may have to do with something with her and she had said the woman had been with Naruto alone yesterday at the Senju compound for some time and had left looking quite bubbly.

How did Yugao know? She had been watching because she had been curious. Nothing was certain, but the hint was there. According to the former Anbu, Naruto had been perfectly fine after she left his presence. Something had happened during the day and all clues pointed at the Senju Compound.

Naruto didn't show any outward reaction to the mention of Mikoto's name, which left Kakashi quite disappointed because he had been expecting something. Even if there had been a slight twitch, he would have gotten an answer. Well, so much for trying to read the blond Uzumaki.

"How well is your control over the Mangekyo Sharingan now?" Naruto asked after a few moments of silence.

"What? We are not going to talk about how things have been in the past years and how much you have missed me?" Kakashi asked.

"I didn't say I miss you, Kakashi. What is really there to miss?"

"Who knows?" Kakashi responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "If you did not, we wouldn't be sitting here."

Nothing further was said as Mikoto's voice rung behind the two men. She was holding an umbrella, a warm smile on her lips, eyes slightly closed as not to show too much. "Kakashi-san," she greeted the copy-nin, still smiling.

The Sharingan user smiled as he acknowledged the woman.

"Can I steal Naruto?" Mikoto asked a bit too sweetly.

"Our conversation wasn't going anywhere," Kakashi said. Though, he was certain he wasn't being given an option. "Naruto, we are meeting later on at around 7pm for bbq. Be there, your peers will also be there, and Sasuke as well."

Naruto merely nodded and got up from his stool. He turned to face Mikoto who hadn't moved.

"Where is your smile?" The woman asked quietly before shaking her head. "Hold this, will you?" She said handing Naruto the umbrella. She moved closer to him, and took a direction away from the ramen stand.

Kakashi watched the two walking away side by side, under the shade of a single umbrella – almost like a couple.

He smiled… what would Jiraiya say about that? He would certainly make something out of it… yes, a great masterpiece of literature.

 **Senju compound**

Naruto's expressionless mask stared at the half-naked woman who was sitting atop of him. He was allowing himself to be led, allowing the woman to do as she pleased with him, simply because he was curious.

His mother had said he needed to live, not just to survive. This was what adults did. If he ended up getting married, this would be what he would be doing.

It would be a lie if he said he was not pleased. Curiosity was becoming an intoxicating pleasure. He had never looked at a human like this before. He had never caressed a human so gently, allowing the emotions inside of him to burst up.

"I had a feeling that when you come back you'd be like this…" Mikoto said, as she rested her head on Naruto's chest.

"Like this?"

"Your face," Mikoto said. "You spent most of your childhood working out things, difficult things, especially with the Sandaime. There was always a puzzle that had to be solved and that made your otherwise boring life a little entertaining. Whether you want to admit it or not, you take your thrills in being mentally challenged.

As things stand now, there is no one to challenge you. The Sandaime is dead, Tsunade doesn't play that kind of a game and Orochimaru is somewhat of an odd ball, but he can be predictable because of his nature. Nevertheless, you are not being challenged, there is no puzzle, and that makes your life boring. Everything else cannot entertain you… well, yesterday you smiled in content after I was done with you, yet the background in your eyes never really changed."

Naruto was silent; his thoughts were silent as well. His hands moved automatically and wrapped around Mikoto's shoulders in a gentle manner. It gave him some sort of a satisfaction that he could not quite explain. Yet, this was all just a play, a secret play that could not come out to the light.

It was real, yet not real.

"You are much like Itachi in your attempt to understand me," Naruto responded. "He did warn me that it would prove to be detrimental should I allow it to get best of me…"

"It depends, but I don't want you to be bored with your life. You have grown now; you simply cannot be satisfied with just being with her. Nothing can replace the moments with your mother, but someone or your mental needs a few things to keep the light going or you will go out of your way to make things interesting. I doubt you'd do anything risky…" Mikoto paused, her left hand soothing over Naruto's chest. "Your heartbeat is calm, and your body is warm…" she mumbled. "Do you think I am forcing you to do something bad? I didn't give you a chance and I knew you'd never refuse me. Do you think I am a selfish woman who is taking advantage of your soft spot for me and has already taken away your innocence?"

"What do you call this?"

There was a reason he was not answering her question, and that was because she was wrong – she was not forcing him to do anything. He was indulging this because he wanted to do it, he was enjoying what she was doing to him.

"An illicit affair…" Mikoto smiled. "I am older than your mother, yet I'm sleeping with you. It will be like a betrayal to Kushina, which is why she must never know, Sasuke especially. A little voice says I am a predator, but, I don't know… it has been long since I have been in this embrace, since I allowed my urges to get the best of me… but this does not feel wrong, do you think it's wrong, Naruto?"

 **About two hours later**

"Has your life become that peaceful that you'd allow yourself to be distracted like that?" Sasuke asked as he walked towards the Naruto – who was sitting in a meditative position just behind his house. "There were Anbu watching… you know they might not have better opinion of you, and you certainly didn't impress the Hokage."

Naruto opened just one eye for a moment before closing it. Why couldn't people just allow him to rest in peace? He wanted to get his thoughts right.

It was something though, wasn't it? Sasuke was looking at him so stern-faced, reprimanding him for making careless mistakes. A reversal of roles? It was his role to get the Uchiha in line and now he was the one at the receiving end of it. Well, Sasuke heavily depended on him to think, if he screwed up things, he screwed up things for both of them.

But screwing up things was not a subject Naruto had studied. He didn't go around making mistakes – foolish mistakes to be precise. He wasn't perfect, so every now and then he would make a mistake, but not foolish ones.

"Where is this peace you speak of, Sasuke?" Naruto said.

"Then, why were you distracted?" Sasuke demanded strongly, instinctively, the Sharingan activated to spot any twitch in Naruto's body language. He wanted to see if the blond would tell the truth or not. Normal eyes would not be able to spot it if the blond does react – he normally does, but there were those rare moments.

"Personal matters," Naruto responded calmly. "I have managed to resolve it though. You don't need to know and I hope you never know."

He wouldn't go as far to ridiculously say he felt guilty about everything.

He could have corrected Mikoto and told her that he could have refused her if he wanted to. She was not the one who could make him do anything despite her importance, she did not have that kind of a hold on him, but he had allowed her to think that way. Yes, she did understand him much better, but she did not know what was happening inside his head.

He had allowed her to do what she wanted because he was honestly curious. He wanted to see if Yugao had been right. She had been right. Perhaps he should reward her for it.

Still, the experience appeared to be much more than he had expected. Well, he could not have known because he only had an idea, but the actual experience wasn't something that words could have explained it to him perfectly. Some things were not for words, but for the eyes and the emotions to be able to get it.

"I hope you have," Sasuke said with a warning look. "Perhaps having many tools at your disposal is having a bad influence on you. Back then, you had to do everything on your own, while fighting your battles. However, these days, you don't have to do anything, they do it for you. Is this why you always cut a bored figure?"

"Everything has become easy, there is no challenge, nothing to excite me… it isn't a bad thing having tools, but there is this…" Naruto shook his head. "What do you want, Sasuke?"

"We didn't discuss what you'd be doing once you returned to the village… I'm going to be doing missions and looking after my clan from now on, but there are enemies that we must erase," Sasuke stated.

"Enemies, yes, we do have. Patience is virtue. If you become impatient, you will move at the wrong moment and everything you have planned will be destroyed within a second. One careless move and the enemy will stab you in the back, not just the enemy, but even people you trust. This is the shinobi world, anything is possible," Naruto said. "Yugao for example. The Sandaime pushed her to me so that she could spy on me, but now things have changed."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't know about that little information. But if Naruto knew about it, why did he keep her close? "Why is she still around?"

"My mother seems to like her and her mission died with the Sandaime Hokage. I have studied her over the past years and she seems to genuinely see us as family. I have my reservations about that thought, but that is beside the point," Naruto explained lightly. "Focus on your clan, Sasuke. I will tell you when we are ready to tear apart our enemies."

"If you had disappointed me I would say don't disappoint, but you have not. How do we stand with the Hokage? To be able to move freely within the village we need her to…" Sasuke trailed off when he sensed someone. "You have a guest. We will continue this discussion later, but I am curious to hear what the Hyuga wants to say to you."

Sasuke didn't leave, he just stood there as Hinata made her way towards them. the Hyuga had grown, the Uchiha was able to acknowledge that and her eyes spoke of someone who had experienced quite a lot, but more importantly they were not the eyes of the innocent little girl he had known back then as a member of Team 7.

The Uchiha smiled. "Well, someone has grown," he said.

Hinata smiled at Sasuke. "You have matured as well, Sasuke."

"What are you doing here, Hinata?" Naruto asked without looking at the girl.

Perhaps it would have been said the question was rude when being addressed as they hadn't spoken in quite some time, but Hinata knew why Naruto was asking the question. She had not expected it, but she understood why he was asking. She did remember her last conversation with him after all.

"I know what I said the other day, and I am sure that my father will not be happy if he learns that I was here," Hinata said. "This is the only chance I will get to speak to you today. I'm sure from tomorrow you'll be a busy person. Later on, Ino will probably seek after you."

"I would rather not have any petty talks with your father… not that I can't handle it, but for now, I do not need it," Naruto responded calmly.

"I said my father will not be happy, but that doesn't mean he can actually do something about it. As I am now, he doesn't get to tell me who my friends are," Hinata said a bit firmly. "I have a request…"

Naruto finally looked at the Hyuga. He stared into her eyes. "You have lost some of your innocence that made me value you above wretched humans. Well, I did expect this world to taint you, but you have not become one of this world," the blond said. "What is the request?"

"I want you to talk to Neji," Hinata said. "He is perhaps the strongest, and still remains a clan prodigy, but if he is to remain by my side, he must understand certain things and be a lot stronger. I just need you to take him under your wing for a little while."

"What do I gain by doing that?"

"An ally," Hinata said. "Neji is smart and he is certainly much more level headed than Sasuke – no offence meant," the girl said with a look at the Uchiha.

"When you become clan head, you will support Sasuke when I say support him, regardless. I might need a few favours every now and then," Naruto said to Hinata. "Tomorrow, 5pm, you know the spot."

 **Later**

"Naruto," Ino called the blond Uzumaki as he was walking away from the restaurant they'd been in with what she called friends.

The night was no longer young; the streets were slightly brightened with the night-lights. It was just around this section though. This place was mostly crowded with people because a few shops were located around here. It had its name. A walk away from here, and the dark alleys would come to life.

Naruto stopped moving, but did not turn around as he spoke. "You did not speak to me throughout the whole night. Even though everyone engaged both and Sasuke…" the blond paused as the blonde Yamanaka stopped just an inch away from his back. "I thought perhaps I was no longer your black knight."

At the term, Ino nearly smiled. Nearly. She had used that to call him in their younger days. Black had fitted him because he had been a gloomy person. Well, now it didn't fit, perhaps her crimson Knight would do. Ino shook her head, she was thinking too far off.

Ino held out her hands; she wanted to wrap them around the blond, she hesitated because she didn't know how he would react. They had not parted in good terms, and even though he had written to her, she had not responded to his letter. It was just one, with a few training tips. She had not responded because she had been angry with him for leaving her behind.

Even so, she had missed him. She had dearly missed him. but she was still mad at him. The mixture of the strong emotions that made her emotional.

After a long moment, Ino wrapped her hands around Naruto, burying her face on his back. Her hold on him wasn't gentle, it was tight. She didn't want him to go. She didn't want him to leave her alone. He had left her, and she had been miserable. How many nights had she spent thinking about the moments they had spent together?

There had been times she wanted to shout at him for being stupid. Yes, she had thought when he does return, she would slap some senses and teach him how to treat a woman, but she didn't have that energy now, she just wanted to hold on to him so that he doesn't leave her again.

He was her crimson knight after all.

She wanted to tell him that she was both angry and happy that he was back, but the words failed to leave her lips. Ino wanted to tell him that she had received his letter and had trained as hard as she could with the help of Hinata. She wanted to proudly tell him that she had become a kunoichi, someone who could be useful to him.

But the words could not come out.

She just held on to him.

 **End of chapter**

 **Complete. I thought I would miss the appointed time to post this one, but I managed to make it. The reviews to the previous chapter were great. Thank you.**

 **I didn't reveal a damn thing about what happened the years Naruto was away with Sasuke. Well, there are hints, but we will get over that in the chapters ahead.**

 **I robbed you of some scenes. Like how things went in Naruto's fight with Sasuke, and the conversations afterwards, the gathering as well. I will show a bit more of the 'team' in the coming chapters. I believe this will put a bit a life into the story.**

 **Don't draw any conclusions with regards to Naruto's thoughts about Mikoto. Naruto is still going through the emotions, and we will be seeing them together. it will remain a secret, until something happens…**

 **I know when most of my stories reach this mark, I tend to lose the plot, but I will try to keep things up tidy.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage  
**


	21. Chapter 21

Naruto standing still in the forest of death, eyes closed, surrounded by trees and creepy shades that made the forest infamous. He was trying to visualize the surrounding area with his eyes closed, trying to train his senses once more. Being in this village, with no training, no physical battles to fight, it was a waste. He should have been away already doing something useful.

He could not even train in peace, not that he needed any more hard-core training these days, unless there was a new jutsu he needed to learn. It wasn't that he had learned everything that needed to be learned. One never stopped learning after all – he was merely taking a break from the heavy training to rest his body.

"When you smell like that, you're easy to spot," Naruto suddenly said. "Continuing this will only become an annoyance to me in the next seconds, and I would rather not have that."

Anko jumped from the tree she had been hiding. "I'm a little insulted about what you just said," the woman said, though her expression and tone said otherwise.

Naruto did not turn to face the woman as he took his time to respond to her. "I was talking about snakes and your undeniable thirst for blood. I could feel your intent from that where you were standing… the urges to strike, as you lick your lips."

Anko blinked. Actually, the thought had come to mind about attacking the blond when he was not looking, but she had refrained from doing so when she saw that he wasn't moving. He hadn't even looked at her, how had he known? Perhaps he was merely making an assumption based on his past interaction with her.

"I was forgetting you're the brat who embarrassed Orochimaru in this very forest some years ago," Anko said with a smile. She was fond of that memory in the Sandaime's office. How she wished she could've seen it. She would have rolled all over laughing at Orochimaru.

"I don't know if I must be a brat, but I did engage Orochimaru in this forest," Naruto said as he turned to face Anko.

Anko didn't move as she stared at the blond; well, he wasn't a brat – she could take that back, but she wasn't going to do it loudly. He was a man, and that bored mask deep in his eyes made her feel slightly excited.

"What are you doing here all by yourself? Have you grown old enough that now you can leave your mother's side?"

Naruto chose not to respond to the latter question, instead he responded to the first. "I was fishing," Naruto said, "And this is what I got," he said pointing at the former apprentice of Orochimaru.

Anko tilted her head to the side as she thought over things. "What do you plan on doing now that you have caught me?" The woman played along, grinning madly in anticipation of what the blond might say in response.

Disappointedly, Naruto did not say what the woman wanted to hear. "I'm going to toss you back where I found you and get out of here…"

Anko frowned slightly. "You're bored," she said. "Why don't you we do something to make things fun? I'm also bored…"

The moment she said those words, Anko lunged towards Naruto, a kunai slipped into the right hand. Appearing slight above the blond, she drove the kunai towards Naruto's face with every intention to pierce him if he fails to avoid the blow.

Naruto reacted by grabbing Anko's wrist, stopping the kunai just in front of his face. His hold on her wrist was firm, almost like an iron grip and Anko could not move her hand. The snake mistress supressed a wince before raising her left hand; two snakes burst forth, heading straight to Naruto's face.

The blond grabbed both snakes a bit viciously before snapping them in half. His bored eyes stared at Anko. "Snakes are such dangerous creatures, aren't they? One vicious strike by one that is venomous and you are dead."

Anko frowned at being disabled so easily. The blond was not letting go of her hand and she knew that she could not escape his iron grip. She had tried it, but he had not allowed her to slip through, not even a little. Even though he did not look like it, he obviously possessed some incredible physical prowess.

Naruto let go of Anko steadily, but the moment he did so, the woman spun around, lifting up her left foot. She aimed a high kick straight at his temple. Naruto reacted by moving back slightly, just watching the kick pass through his face, just inches away from hitting him.

Even though he didn't wish to fight her, He didn't hold out both his hands in defence getting the feeling that the woman would not back off even if he did that. "You're familiar with Yugao and Kurenai, correct?"

That seemed to catch Anko's attention enough for her to stop attempting to hit the blond. "Yes," she said. "You stole Kurenai's favourite student… but I have to say, you turned her into a fine kunoichi. I would have been proud myself."

Of course, she would have made a few tweaks, personality wise, but there was a massive improvement.

Naruto ignored Anko's words. Perhaps he could say that he was a little proud with what he had managed to do with the Hyuga, but that wasn't the main point. His eyes were looking at something else in particular – the Hyuga's usefulness.

"If you are familiar with those two then talking to you should not be dangerous," the blond paused eyeing the woman for a second. "Perhaps I should consider this a little danger." Well, she did attack him for no apparent reason. "When Danzo became Hokage, I felt that my time had come to an end because he was going to force me to become a weapon, I would be his little tool, just as you were Orochimaru's 'precious apprentice'. I could not have that, and so, I gathered a powerful ally and eliminated Danzo."

Anko blinked, she wasn't surprised that he had managed to do something like that: It had become a gossip that the village leaders were hiding something about what had happened concerning Danzo. A single man had claimed to do it but very little was known about him and his power, so it made it slightly hard to believe.

There was also the fact that Danzo had just become Hokage. It was apparent that most clan heads didn't like the man and he had taken the power by 'force' Still, to think that this person had done it, more so when he was just a brat.

Anko burst out laughing at the thought of it. She laughed so hard that she had to sit down for a moment to compose herself. "Ridiculous things have occurred in this world, but this has just made my day," Anko said with a wide grin.

She didn't have troubles believing that he had done it even though Konoha gave a different account to the rumours. This very same brat had humiliated Orochimaru after all. He had been unrivalled as a Genin and had once operated as an Anbu – not to mention he had trained with Uchiha Itachi.

Anko drew eyebrows at the thought but she just shook it off.

"Most clan heads suspected me, and they came to a decision to let it slide because really it was for the best for Konoha. Yet, there has been an impression that I am a dangerous person who must be watched always. Koharu and Homura, have persuaded Hiashi to mistrust me massively. For now, there isn't much, but sooner or later, they will get my way."

He could play a game of politics, that would suite him well since he hardly cared about most things and he wasn't afraid to play the manipulation game.

Anko narrowed her eyes. "It seems to me like you're requesting a favour," the woman said. "But I don't do freebies, even if Yugao has grown quite attached to you and your family that she is living with you."

"My mother has even thought of adopting her to the Uzumaki clan," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "But in essence, yes; I do need a favour from you. I have enemies in this village, and few friends. I could use a bit of friends."

Anko snorted at the thought of friendship. He just wanted something from her. Nevertheless, he was still an interesting person to say the least.

"I do plan on killing Orochimaru one day; perhaps I might take you with me…" Naruto said, his eyes facing up. "Well, then, Anko, We will talk soon. Perhaps we might even do a mission together."

"Wait," Anko said. She didn't agree to anything, and yet he was speaking as if she had said it was a done deal. "Why are you coming to me?"

Naruto thought about things for a moment before shrugging. It would be foolish to try to play the manipulation game with a sadist. The woman had experienced too much to be fooled. "While neither of us cares for how the village has treated us, I think we are in a similar boat to be able to understand each other. You're also Yugao's friend. My mother wishes that those who are friends with Yugao be close to us as well… though honestly speaking, your bad tendencies wouldn't do well close to my mother. In any case, Yugao has been nothing but a trustworthy person, and I think it won't be bad to extend the hand to her friends."

Of course, going by the logic that because Yugao was a good person then her friends had to be good as well, he was as good as screwed. It was just irrational and ridiculously foolish – and an easy way to get yourself stabbed in the back.

"Life was becoming a little boring anyway," Anko said with a shrug. "How about a bottle of sake to celebrate?"

"I don't drink," Naruto said with a shake of his head.

Anko stared, waiting for the blond to say he was joking, but he did not. "You've been killing people since you were in the academy, and you're telling me that you can't drink?"

Naruto nodded. "It isn't that I can't, I just don't. In time," the blond said.

"You're strange, or perhaps are you one of those stuck up brats?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, his lips parted to say something, but he ended up jut shaking his head. "You're a lot different from Yugao or Kurenai. I wonder how you're able to get along," he said. "I wouldn't mind doing something else with you, like eating. I'm also curious to see how the villagers will react upon seeing me walking with you."

"You like testing things, don't you?"

Naruto shrugged, "It is important that I do," he said. He was just bored and he thought this would make things a little interesting. "Ramen will do, yes…" he added. The Ramen was a place that was at least comfortable for him.

Anko shook her head. "No," she said. "Dango…"

 **Naruto's House**

Mikoto stood at the doorframe of the small study in Naruto's house, hands folded across her burst. The person she had come to see was looking through files, yet, there was a hint of boredom inside his eyes. The Uchiha wondered what she would do to kill off that boredom. Wasn't she doing enough? Well, Naruto was a special case, she needed to do more.

"What are you looking at?"

The Uchiha asked as she closed the door behind her. She stopped short of locking it before going on to settle on the chair in front of the desk. She would have preferred to sit on the desk, and face the blond, but it would just be dangerous as Kushina or Yugao could walk in at any moment.

"Nothing in particular," Naruto said without looking at Mikoto. "I thought perhaps I would be able to find something interesting if I just browse these files."

Mikoto shook her head. "I have something interesting for you," she said.

Naruto looked up to the woman – a gesture showing she had his full attention. This was Mikoto he was talking to, surely when she said she had something interesting, it had to be interesting.

"I'm coming from a meeting with other clan heads," she said. "Previously, I'd abstained from attending the meetings, but since Sasuke is back, I thought it would best to do so, so that when he does take over from me, he finds his seat all warmed up."

"Understandable," Naruto said with a small nod. "When do you think you're going to relinquish your duties to him?"

He wasn't planning for that to be soon. Sasuke wasn't ready to lead anything, not less a clan. He had worked over his issues along with his brother, but he was still Sasuke. A bit childish at times, but he had grown. There was still a lot that he had to learn nevertheless.

"Not any time soon," Mikoto said a bit firmly. "Sasuke isn't like you. He is still a child despite everything. You stopped being a child many years ago. He must still accumulate so much in terms of experience and I must teach him a lot. I wouldn't ask you to teach him about leadership because I doubt your ways would be anyway clean…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the statement. He wasn't going to ask what she meant by that, he knew what she meant. "I know certain things… I have taken it in myself to learn many aspects about life because the knowledge might become useful in the future. If the Uzumaki clan does get off, who is going to lead it? My mother would not, so I must. There is a game of politics, I can play it."

"Because you think it is basically just a game of manipulation," Mikoto said.

Naruto didn't deny that those were his thoughts. He had played that game with the Sandaime Hokage a lot and he was beaten thoroughly. Maybe he was missing the old man now. The Third always knew how to keep things interesting and how to make his mind work overload in trying to come up with plans for counterattack.

"I won't deny that," he said.

"Sasuke can't play that kind of a game," Mikoto said. "He is a bit too honest, emotional…"

"He doesn't need to play it," Naruto stressed those words. "I am here, and I will not be going anywhere. I will play it…"

"That way my son becomes more like your puppet…" It wasn't an accusation, but a statement.

Naruto shook his head. "You give me too much credit, and underestimate your son. Sasuke is difficult…"

"Maybe," Mikoto said. "Your name came up in the meeting. Caution was the subject at hand, but the Hokage didn't seem worried about much. I suspect that isn't the case though, but you seem to have a supporter in Shikaku. He appears to have an understanding of how a part of you thinks."

"Not surprising," Naruto said. "Perhaps I must pay Shikamaru a visit. He did go all the way out to befriend me during academy days and I have missed some brain teasers in a game of shogi."

Mikoto shook her head. "Hiashi doesn't like you," she said. "But that is something for another day," she paused for a moment. "What are you doing later on?"

"I have a 'date' with Ino," Naruto said. "She insisted on it or else she would try to ruin things when Temari comes along with her brother tomorrow or just haunt me for the rest of my life."

It had slipped Mikoto's mind that the Subaku siblings were coming over to the village tomorrow. How come she had forgotten about that? She shook her head; that wasn't important, what was important was Naruto was going out on a date.

"That is new," she said. "I wasn't aware that you'd become so famous with the ladies. You have Yugao running rampant around here; there will be Temari, and now Ino?"

"Ino has been a childhood friend. While I may not admit it to her, I was quite fond of her – her personality at least. That interest did wane when she turned out to be a mediocre of a kunoichi, but she has grown," Naruto responded calmly.

"That may be true, it has also reached my attention that you were seen around the village with a certain lady, Mitarashi Anko, to be precise," Mikoto said. "I assume there is an ulterior motive behind that, but it still doesn't please me," the woman said in a somewhat strong tone.

"Why?" Naruto asked all in the name of curiosity.

Why would it be a bother? At least if it was his mother, he could understand and he wouldn't even question it. He still doubted she would have a problem with it nevertheless. He assumed she would probably be happy but with a wind of caution of course. She would not want her dear son to become a serial womanizer.

Mikoto stared at the blond for a moment. Sometimes she forgot that Naruto was still somewhat dense, or maybe he just chose not to think about other people's emotions. "You're with me, Naruto, and I will not allow for just any woman to take you away from me. Admittedly, I may be jealous because I'm not getting any younger and you have girls your age, who can keep up with your energy levels…" she still did manage to smile at that despite the firmness of her tone.

Naruto didn't give an immediate response – he first went through some thoughts before offering response. "You speak as if I have any interest in women looking for that sort of thing," he said. "While I will admit that the carnal pleasure is quite something, I still do not have any interest in seeking out women. My mother would like me to settle down one day and have a family, but I really do not see that happening."

Mikoto smiled, "A lot can change in years, Naruto," the woman said. "Plus I plan to change you. I'm sad that we can't settle together. I would not mind calling you husband," the woman said with a laugh.

Despite the words nearly making him frown, Naruto didn't look away from Mikoto. He wasn't frowning because he was repulsed by the thought – Mikoto was coming in with emotions and he did not have that. Well, actually, he didn't want to have that. It would change the way he does view things. He was comfortable in his little bottle, opening up that door meant there would be the unexpected that he would experience.

Naruto didn't want that.

Yet, this was facing him and he knew that if his mother was going to stop worrying about him, or that she might die without having any grandchildren, he would have to change. Nevertheless, it was difficult to suddenly form that part in his heart, becoming normal, enjoying things like the monkeys do – he would be changed.

Truthfully, Naruto wasn't just scared of that change, he didn't know if he was capable of having those emotions for other people. For so long now, he had accepted and tolerated, but the only person he had loved was his mother – perhaps there had been something with Itachi.

He did care for Mikoto – he truly did. She was becoming much of an important person as they days go by.

'Husband?' Naruto mused. The thought could only bring Temari in mind. The blonde had been in the thought for quite some time, even before the invasion that was orchestrated by Orochimaru and his goons. He wasn't having those thoughts in these days anyway.

"My wants aside," Mikoto drew the words. "It wouldn't hurt if you get another girl, even though I wouldn't like it. I do need someone to cover for me. I'm afraid it would create quite the scandal if this broke out and it would really jeopardize my friendship with your mother… Sasuke won't be happy either. So, we have to keep this between us, no matter what."

"I don't have those kind of thoughts at the moment," Naruto with mild indifference. Really, he wasn't planning on getting a woman in his life. There were other things to do, but then again, his mother would be asking questions if he doesn't do something.

"You should start having them," Mikoto said in firm tone. "You're not planning on taking Ino to the Senju compound, are you? I mean later on after the date…"

Naruto just gave the woman a blank stare.

She laughed with a shake of her head. What was she even asking? Naruto didn't have those kinds of thoughts. He was planning something much more complex and dangerous – even though he doesn't see the danger. "Midnight; I will be waiting for you in my room."

 **Training Ground**

Neji stared at Naruto with an expressionless look on his face – he could not quite match the indifferent look on Naruto's face though. The blond Uzumaki was just staring back at him, he didn't look as if he was thinking about anything, but just looking. It was even possible that he was looking past him. He was being made to feel so insignificant.

A little bit of a bothersome, but Neji didn't comment on it.

"Naruto-kun… it has been long… our last battle still floods my mind! I wish we can fight again so that I can test myself once again someone who is a master in taijutsu," Lee said happily. Gai sensei had said the blond was a master in taijutsu because of his movements, body language. That fight with him – who had sweat blood training had been prove of it.

Neji frowned when Lee spoke. He didn't understand why the green clad was even here in the first place. He shouldn't have made the mistake of saying he was going to meet with Naruto after the training session when Gai had suggested they go out to eat together. He should have just said he had something to do, it had worked before and they had not asked any questions.

"Don't you get tired?" Neji asked quietly, yet in a firm tone. "You were just doing some ridiculous exercises with Gai-sensei." A normal person wouldn't be on his feet by now, but Lee was standing, and happily ready to go for another road. The again, Lee wasn't a normal person, was he?

"This is a chance I cannot miss!" Lee said with a shake of his head. "Naruto beat me the last time; I want to see if he can still do it again. If I can't then I have not progressed in my training at all. I must double… no triple my efforts."

Neji shook his head. "Don't interfere," he said sternly.

"I was hoping I'd be able to talk to you, but the weather isn't right," Naruto finally spoke since the two walked into the training ground. "In any case, I am much more interested in seeing what you can do. I heard that you became Jonin before everyone else."

'Weather?' Neji thought. He realized the blond was talking about Lee. He probably wanted to talk about some sensitive matters. There could be time for that. Neither him nor the blond were going to die or grow old tomorrow. Being impatient would not help anything – it would only complicate things.

"I can't spend much time here either," Neji said. "Shall we get this over with, then?" the Hyuga said taking a stance. "I was the first to become Jonin because of strength and intelligence that allowed me to better those I have faced. If you're going to pose a challenge, you will have to do better than you did against Sasuke."

Naruto didn't offer a response, he merely motioned for the Hyuga to charge.

Neji didn't need to get a second invitation to attack; he lunged towards the blond, right hand glowing with chakra. The second he reached Naruto, both his feet landed gracefully without so much as picking dust as his right hand travelled towards the blond's chest.

Naruto's response was to grab Neji's hand with his left hand, with so much force that it came to a complete halt as Neji stared in surprise.

No one should be able to grab his hand like that. The chakra on his right should have hit the chakra points on the hand if someone was doing as risky as that. Then why didn't it occur to Naruto. Normally, people try to avoid his strikes; they don't stand still and grab them. It was just suicidal as one strike could render them immobile.

"I have seen enough," Naruto said, not the least impressed. "When you have a better attitude into battle, try to fight me again. At this state, I will break you. I'm not saying you're not skilled, but your attitude is wrong. Just because I didn't perform when facing Sasuke doesn't mean that it was the best I could do. Arrogance is poison to a shinobi; don't allow it to fool you, Hyug-"

Naruto was cut off when Lee flashed behind him, left foot rooted to the ground in heavy force whilst the right sped through the air, heading towards the right side of his head. The blond reacted instantly by ducking under the kick. He straightened himself when Lee took a single step backwards.

Naruto pulled Neji closer before flicking him over his shoulder with so much force that the Hyuga couldn't stop despite being able to see it all happening. When Lee saw his teammate falling towards him, he held out both his hands and caught him.

When he looked up, Naruto had already made the distance, his back still facing them. "We will have a good sparring session some other day, Lee, but not today…" Naruto said with a wave of his right hand as he walked away.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Neji forced Lee to let him go, "I could have balanced myself and landed on my feet," the Hyuga said as he straightened up himself.

 **Hokage Office**

Naruto was standing beside the window in the office, looking outside the village streets. He had his hands inside his pockets. It was for the first time in his many visits that he was standing in this location – it had been the coach, the chair or just standing in front of the desk. This was Jiraiya's location, and the man was still sitting there next to him, but Naruto was ignoring the presence of the man, for the moment he was watching the streets at least.

"What do Koharu and Homura have against you?" Tsunade asked the blond Uzumaki. For as long as she has been Hokage, the two have been trying to do some damages into his reputation. It was apparent that they did not like him at all.

"They are just bitter that I got away with killing Danzo," Naruto said calmly. "I must be this dangerous person who cannot be allowed to move freely within the village. I committed treason by killing a sitting Kage – there has to be punishment for that, but the majority of the clan heads decided against it because they knew a future under Danzo would be disastrous."

It was a win win situation for them. They didn't have to worry about anything as they had been allowed to have control over the village. With Danzo in charge, they would have been just bystanders and the man would have let the village into war within just weeks of taking the job.

"Your motives are questionable," Tsunade said. "I want to hear from you, why did you do it?"

Naruto was silent for a few moments before responding. "There has always been the assumption that the Sandaime Hokage was weak and unable to make the hard right decisions when it mattered, but that was false. Yes, he allowed Danzo to live even after the man tried to kill him, and many other things he did behind the Sandaime's back, but the old man was not weak.

I know it first hand; he was manipulative, cunning and hardened old man. The image of a soft old man who had turned senile because of peace suited him better because it allowed him to operate without anyone suspecting him of ill intensions. Danzo was just allowed to live because the Sandaime felt he was useful, as long as he was Hokage at least."

Truly, with the events that unfolded after the old man died, Jiraiya could say that his sensei had remained the professor even after the wars. He had just gotten better with old age. His physical prowess may have faded with age, but his mental capabilities had just become wiser with the accumulated experiences.

"That still doesn't answer the question," Tsunade said. "True if you stopped there, it can be said that without the Sandaime Hokage, Danzo was no longer needed. You could even go as far as to say the Sandaime had given you the order and with what Jiraiya told me, it wouldn't be hard to believe, but I want the truth. I already know it, but I want you to admit it to me."

Naruto's eyes turned towards Tsunade for a moment before he looked back outside the office. "It was for my safety and my mother's. I don't need to explain anything to you in detail, I'm sure Jiraiya has already told that from the beginning Danzo had always wanted me to be turned into the weapon. With him becoming Hokage, he would have tried."

"Your mother would not have wanted it, and knowing her, she would have fought. Danzo would not have hesitated to kill her if she was getting in the way. Considering how he worked, I'm sure he would have thought killing her was the best option to get you to turn your attention towards Konoha," Tsunade said.

"Escaping was out of the options," Jiraiya added. "Someone as smart as you would have considered all the possibilities…"

Tsunade sighed as she thought over things. "Why do you want a free pass?"

"I'm rather surprised that you have been willing to indulge me," the blond said to Tsunade. "Well, Kages always think about what is best for the village they lead and the people they lead. I'm nevertheless, 'happy' that you're willing to try things in this manner. I prefer it to be this way; which is why I will refrain from doing anything disastrous that would bring harm to Konoha."

"Surprising," Tsunade said not fully convinced that the blond would follow through his word.

"I try not to tell lies," Naruto said a bit firmly. "I will omit some things there and then, but I tell the truth. Besides, I'm big on trust and I despise traitors…" of course he would become a traitor if it was convenient. He was that kind of a hypocrite. Still, he really hoped that things never reach that point.

"Then answer the question," Jiraiya said firmly. Before the blond Uzumaki does answer the question, he first took them to other directions. Simple people would forget and think about what he was saying, but they were experienced shinobi – they would not be fooled easily. Still, Jiraiya doubted that Naruto was actually trying to fool them – it could simply be just out of habit.

"The shinobi world has always been mired with all that is bad. Actions of the past have resulted in so much pain and hatred… the hatred in this world just cannot seem to disappear, there is no end to it. In turn, it makes this world unsafe. A little action can set off a war, and people will die… just resulting in more pain and hatred. The cycle continues without an end.

"The Elemental Nations are at peace at the moment, because you have brought the balance of power with Bijuus, but what if you removed that balance, what will happen? The Akatsuki is after the Bijuus. Say, if either Kumo or Iwa lose both their Jinchurikis, do you think that they will hesitate to try to get other villages Bijuus?

To them it would be out of self-preservation. Without their 'weapons' they will feel exposed and will hunt wherever they can to cloth themselves. Of course, the other villages will not sit back and allow them to do as they please, even Kusagakure – which has a Jinchuriki will not sit back. A war for Bijuus will occur.

"I don't want such an unsafe world. True everything in this village can turn peaceful, but if the world outside is unsafe, there will always be the fear. The Hidden Leaf isn't exactly innocent, so if anything happens, it will be dragged along. I want to keep the balance…"

After a long minute of silence after Naruto had spoken, Jiraiya responded.

"But not for the good of the world, for your own selfish reason of keeping your mother safe. Kushina has travelled, I'm sure she enjoys the experience. With the outside world unsafe, there is no guarantee that she will be safe, especially since she is your mother. For both of you to be safe, the world outside as to be safe."

Naruto nodded. "I had considered the thought of a world without other nations and villages, just Konoha. In that way, you guarantee safety…"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Why go that far? You don't care about this world, yet you'd do something that would benefit it…"

Naruto wondered if the man thought of what he had just said: the message left unsaid was that he had thought of destroying other villages just for Konoha to remain the only village. If the man gave that a thought, he would not have asked such a question.

When the population is low, it was easy to control things and manage them. But something like that would need a massive plan that was just full of blood. If he put his mind to it, Naruto could plant the seeds for a bloody war, but that was the thing he wanted to avoid.

Naruto had only dropped the die because it would only make his mother sad. Yes, he would need to get his hands dirty. The world would notice and Kushina would become the mother of 'that thing'. Naruto could not have that, hence his current thoughts.

"Jiraiya; the bitter truth in this world is that you cannot protect everything that is precious to you. In this world, you will always be forced to make a sacrifice, a choice between two things. There are situations that will force you to choose between left and right. The invasion taught me that I am a mere mortal: I am not omnipresent. This is why I want to avoid those situations. We may not want to think about it, but we have limits, we can protect something, but not everything."

"But we have friends, the village has an army to make up for that. We cannot be everywhere, but we cannot put different people into different locations to protect what is precious to us," Tsunade said in a firm tone. "I do see your point nevertheless. It is much better to stop a situation than allowing it to develop when you know you may not be able to stop it once it does occur, and even if you do manage to stop it, you won't escape it in one piece."

Naruto looked at Tsunade as he spoke. "When you make that decision to position your pieces, how do you decide? It is based on importance? Not all pieces will be equally powerful and not all 'places' will be equally important…"

Tsunade frowned but she refused to comment.

Naruto smiled. "You don't have to answer it," the blond said with a shrug. "This is just one of the flaws of the world we live in. When there is imperfection, there will be inequality and things will occur in that manner."

"For someone who is indifferent to life, you really know a lot about this world…" Tsunade said.

"I'm not indifferent: if I was, I would not have bothered to understand it…" Naruto paused. "Then, do I pass your test, Hokage-sama… I have to say, this leaves an unfamiliar click in my tongue… I only called the Sandaime 'Hokage' when I wasn't pleased…" the blond said with a shake of his head.

 **Nara Compound**

Naruto was still playing the game in the same way that he played the last time they played – but of course this time there was something slightly different but the principle was still the same. Shikamaru wasn't the one playing against the blond Uzumaki – his father was. The Nara was just watching the two play the game.

"You're not playing to win," Shikaku said to Naruto. "It can be dangerous if your opponent discovers it… it can be used against you. When you're not playing to win, you're mostly defending and your actions are just responsive, which means you don't dictate the flow of the battle."

Naruto knew that, he was a bit controlling in a battle after all. He would never fight a fight he had no control over, even if the control was just a little, it was enough. With enough space, he could get an opening to make a move. It was a matter of knowing how to utilize your weapons.

"Sometimes attack is the best form of defence," Naruto said calmly. "When in a battlefield, you must be flexible. This will allow you to adapt to the changes and surprises. If you enter with just one strategy, you will fall. Strategies can be foiled, no matter how impenetrable they appear. I prefer to move on my own terms, but I make allowances in case there is no other way."

Shikaku stared at the board for a long minute: truly, the blond was still moving his pieces in the way he liked, not because he was being forced to make movements. In the way he had positioned, he could switch into attack with just three moves. It would be risky for him because he gives you a false hope that he is only going to defend and when you least expect it, he hits you with a sucker punch.

"When you do not make allowances, you won't be able to counter for the surprises," Shikaku finally responded. "Flexibility? Yes. It is fundamental for every shinobi. Our world is unpredictable and if you think you know everything, you only put on the mask of arrogance…" the Nara paused for a moment as he looked up at Naruto. He turned back to the board before speaking again. "How was your meeting with the Hokage?"

"She gave me what I wanted… I think we may be able to forge an understanding," Naruto said calmly.

"That is at least good to hear," Shikaku said. They would be able to avoid unwanted conflicts that way and things could turn out for the better. They just had to make sure the mutual understanding lasted for as long as both were active. He understood that there would be tense moments every now and then, but the understanding would help them overcome that.

This world wasn't perfect and the people living in it were not perfect so every now and then there would be differences and conflicts. What differentiated a person from the other was how they dealt with those conflicts.

"How was your stay in the Hokage seat?"

"Just troublesome," Shikaku said with a tired sigh. "At least Hiashi was able to do most work," the man's tone changed slightly. "You should be careful with him. Despite everything, he still does have a pull and influence in the village. He is normally fair and rational, but I don't know what has tainted him. In any case, just keep a watchful eye."

Naruto nodded, but said nothing about it.

The rest of the game was played in silence until Shikaku claimed the victory – a hard fought victory. The man let loose of a long breath. He suddenly looked worn out. "Your father was a good person and he loved this village dearly. Perhaps we are at fault for failing to ensure that you enjoyed a rich childhood. We did take measures, allowing you to leave the village to escape the resentment and not allowing Danzo to get close, but I still feel as if we have failed.

"The Sandaime was right there and assured us he would do everything to keep you here and happy… but I guess not everything went according to plan. In any case, we do think that Minato made you a Jinchuriki for a reason. We do not know, but I'm sure your mother knows, and we'd like to see you walk in the same light as your father. It might not be impractical, but we do have that hope. The Third is no longer here; if you need anything, let us know."

Shikaku said that before walking away.

Naruto understood whom this 'we' included. He wasn't going to comment on it, there was no need. This very same man told Shikamaru to befriend him when they were still at the academy. The young Nara had been honest enough to tell him that.

Naruto turned to Shikamaru before speaking. "I have spent much more time than I had planned," he said.

"I will walk you out," Shikamaru said as he stood up. "I heard Ino say you agreed to go out with her later on…" the Nara said as the two walked side by side, leaving the compound.

"Yes," Naruto said. "It wasn't by choice…"

Shikamaru managed to smile. "Well, Ino is a troublesome woman. She has become worse these days since she takes her life as a Kunoichi seriously. She can even be quite devious at times…"

Naruto appeared to think about it for a few moments before responding. "I'm used to it; when we were younger she used to resort to blackmail for me to do what she wanted. I will agree with you when you say she is a troublesome woman… but admittedly she was the only one who kept me company."

Shikamaru looked up into the sky for a few moments before looking back at the road ahead of him. He wanted to say that Ino had been mad and sad at the same time that Naruto had left the village – no according to her, he had abandoned her. Still, he was happy to know that Naruto did value her, despite being rough on her. Perhaps it was because he knew she could handle it.

Naruto certainly knew Ino better than he did. The two had been friends long before the academy. They were introduced to each other when they were still younger and with Ino's personality, they had made a great match. Ino was the only one who could force the blond to do certain things. He could not. He would've be too lazy to try anything.

The Nara decided against revealing secrets – if Ino wanted Naruto to know, she would tell him. He wasn't going to get involved in matters of the two. It would only be troublesome if he got involved anyway. "She does rant about it every now and then," Shikamaru said with an image of a ranting Yamanaka. "I was curious when my father said I should befriend you, but I'd decided against trying to find out why because I figured it would be something bothersome, taking into account how the villagers used to treat you."

The Nara smiled, a shake of his head before speaking. "Honestly, I never expected you to be the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha's greatest hero. It was almost bitterly ironic that the son of the village's most loved Kage became the village's most hated."

"Ironic? Perhaps," Naruto said. "Humans are interesting creatures: they resent what they do not understand and chose to believe whatever it is that makes them feel better even if it means ignoring the truth. Perhaps it was this attitude that made me believe 'low-lives' who could follow such an irrational thought were nothing more than low life creatures."

Shikamaru didn't offer an immediate response. Naruto's attitude as seeing himself some sort of nobility wasn't because he had known he was the son of the Yondaime Hokage – this didn't seem to have a meaning in Naruto's life. The Nara was discovering that it was because Naruto saw himself as a better person than them – he was different in every way.

"How long has Ino known?"

"Along the line, but it had no bearing on how she viewed me," Naruto said knowing that Shikamaru was talking about the Kyubi. Well, it wasn't that he would have cared if things had turned the other way around. He would not have, because if she had changed opinions, she would have been thrown in the same boat as the villagers – meaning, she would have become nothing more than a monkey.

"Well, Ino is smart when she ones to be," Shikamaru said.

"Speaking of being smart," Naruto said. "I have a proposal for you."

Shikamaru seemed to groan at that before he responded calmly, "I hope it isn't anything troublesome," He said. Before refusing, he would have to know what the blond wanted him to do. Well, it would depend on whether he could do it or not.

"Tsunade values you as a Jonin of the Hidden Leaf not to mention you are the heir of the Nara clan," Naruto started calmly. "Konoha will be interacting with Sunagakure a lot in the coming months and years. The two villages will be trying to form a strong relationship. I am at the centre of it all. It isn't just my proposed marriage to Temari. Naturally, there will be someone needed to hold diplomatic talks with Suna."

"Normally, Hokage-sama would have to make that decision, but considering that the Kazekage is still young, and that you're at the centre of it, you want someone who can speak on the same 'level' with them while also keeping your interests intact," Shikamaru deduced. "Well, it will keep me away from troubling battles. When do I begin?"

"Tomorrow. The Sand siblings will be here by noon, you will welcome them…"

"Hey," Shikamaru said coming to a halt, his tone was a little high. "That is so sudden!"

 **Naruto's House**

"I wasn't expecting you to be home at this time of the day," Naruto said to Yugao. It felt strange just saying that. Home? To Yugao? Yes this was her home now, but it had not always been like this. It had been just him and his mother but now there were a couple of people warming up to their family.

It was difficult, but Naruto was doing all right to accommodate the change. His mother was most happy when things were like this, so he could not complain much. Besides, he did trust Yugao with his mother's safety. Even when he wasn't present, she could hold on to protect his mother before he does make his round to rescue them… if possible.

"I have nothing better to do," Yugao said taking her feet off the coffee table. Well, the man of the house was back, she needed to behave. She closed the book she was reading as her eyes followed the blond. Naruto sat down across her; for a moment, the expression on his face reflected tiredness. "A busy day?"

"Not at all," Naruto said. "But I have been going around doing a lot of talking. There was a lot to think about, but not too much."

Yugao nodded and checked around the house. She was sure that Kushina was not home yet, but should be returning soon. The woman had said she was only going to do something and she would be back soon because she had something to discuss with Naruto.

"I thought Mikoto-san would be keeping you busy," Yugao said in a strange tone.

Naruto stared at the woman for a long minute before asking. "What are you talking about?" If she had something to say to him, she should go ahead and do so. Besides, when has she gone around the bushes to tell him something?

"What you are doing with her when nobody is looking," Yugao said.

"When you were doing it, were people looking?" Naruto responded calmly.

Yugao paused to think about that picture Naruto was trying to paint in her head. She would never do something like that and Naruto knew that, but he was just saying to because that seemed to the point in her statement. She sighed: try reasoning with a genius. The blond Uzumaki could come up with ways to counter any logical thought she brought to his attention.

"Of course, not; I wasn't doing it for show or one of those smut movies," Yugao said firmly. "But you're not denying anything."

"Nor am I admitting anything," Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. "You appear to be invested in this idea you have in your mind, Yugao. If am not mistaken, you brought Mikoto's intensions to me before we even left Konoha, and now you still have those words. Does it bother, you?"

"By that question, do you admit it?"

"Just answer my question…" Naruto said.

"Maybe a little, but it isn't my business. You're not a child. I can't think for you and I know you have been making decisions of your own even when you were just a little kid. Still," Yugao paused, giving Naruto a stern look. "What are you planning with her? She is as old as your mother is: you can't be surely thinking of marrying her… I know for sure she is serious…"

Naruto gave the woman look before responding. "What do you suggest, Yugao? Would you rather take her place? My mother wouldn't complain if I was sleeping with you instead."

Yugao tried to say something, but no words came out. She was honestly shocked that he would say something like that with straight face even though he was Uzumaki Naruto. How could he suggest something like that? Well, his mother would not complain, the age gap between her and Naruto could not count for much, and she was already family. Nothing would change… well, she would be calling Kushina 'mother'

Yugao smiled warmly at the thought.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Does it please you?"

Yugao's eyes snapped towards Naruto – she realized he was talking about her thoughts and flushed slightly. "I was thinking about a fond memory that doesn't include you," the woman said quick to say.

"I was thinking of rewarding you for seeing something that I was not able to see," Naruto said, his eyes facing the ceiling. "But I can't decide on the gift. In any case, keep things to yourself. Mikoto will probably go all the way Sharingan on you if you talk too much. She might look gentle, but she is a retired Jonin…"

Yugao got the feeling that Naruto wasn't just saying that just to scare her, but he was serious. "I will keep that in mind," she said. "But do use protection, Naruto. It would be a disaster if you ended up knocking her up."

"Huh?"

Yugao smiled, before the smile turned into laughter. "Nothing. Never mind," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I thought you said you were going to be busy once you returned to the village. But so far, you have remained grounded, no missions, no talk about going out of the village."

"It would be pointless to try to root out the problems outside when there are many glaring in the inside," Naruto said calmly. "Konoha must be secure enough for me to say I can leave for a number of days without having to worry about anything with regards to my mother's safety."

"You know you have me for that," Yugao said with a smile. "If the problem is too much, this house is secure, and if anything, I can summon you quickly. You don't even have to worry about the villagers. They have settled, perhaps by your actions during that invasion… but things are all good."

"Is that what you think?" Naruto asked. "What do you think would happen if suddenly, someone decides to say that I was involved in the Uchiha incident, and was responsible for Danzo's death? The villagers already have history of resentment towards the Uzumaki, with a snap, they can return to their old ways."

Yugao frowned at the thought. It was easy to hate something that you have hated before. They did not have to learn to resent Naruto, they already knew how. "Well that would be a disaster," she said. "That is why you are going all around trying to make friends…"

Naruto nodded. "Just in case, I am unable to avoid a complete disaster, it would be a great help if there are people in my corner. Being completely alone would surely result in me abandoning the Leaf because we would not be able to continue living here. It would not be so bad because I have made provisions in case something like that occurs."

Yugao smiled. "Well, you always have things planned up," she said. "I admire that sort of thing about you, yet it scares me at the same time. Neither Jiraiya nor Hokage-sama really understand how far your thinking goes. The Sandaime Hokage was the only other person who understood fully."

"It should not scare you," Naruto said. "My mother likes you and it would be crippling to my heart if I had evil intensions for you," the blond said calmly. "Speaking of which…"

Kushina walked through, holding plastic bags. She greeted before hurriedly going to the kitchen to place the bags on the table there. Once done, she returned to the living room. She sat beside Yugao and faced Naruto. "It is good that you are here, Yu," she said. "Naruto is going out on a date tonight with Ino… he needs advice."

Yugao raised an eyebrow at this; when Naruto's expression didn't change, she smiled. "Oh?" she mouthed, slightly surprised – it may have been an act. "Isn't this wonderful?"

Naruto stared deep into the eyes of the woman who was fooling around. "You sound overly excited…" he said.

"I'm just happy that you're starting to show interest in woman," Yugao said with a knowing smile.

There had been a hint of sarcasm in her tone, and she had specifically chosen the word 'woman' on purpose. Naruto saw through it all but he refused to indulge her. "I don't really need advice, mother," the blond said turning towards his mother. "I can do this just on my own. I have known Ino all my life, I should be able to handle this. I did handle Temari just fine."

Yugao could not help herself by say, "And you have been handling Mikoto just fine as well…"

Kushina nodded as if she knew what Yugao was talking about. "But this is different, Naruto. You don't see Mikoto and I in the same you see Ino. Well, if you were 'normal' you'd see her as beautiful girl who makes you feel… differently…" the woman refused to use the right word.

'If only you knew what he does with Mikoto,' Yugao thought

"There is nothing to worry about, mother," Naruto stressed the words. "I can handle it. True, emotions do confuse me at times, but that is because I had in the past restricted myself from feeling other things to just care for you as my mother."

Kushina nodded, "I know," she said. "Are you really sure you don't need help? I have been in love, Yugao as well. If you're embarrassed to talk to it with me, you can talk to Yugao or Mikoto."

'She is already giving him plenty of lessons,' Yugao almost said loudly, but she held herself.

"I have never been embarrassed to talk to you about anything mother," Naruto said. "In case there are things that I cannot understand, I will come to you. Experience is also the best teacher, learning through experiences will teach me many things. Besides, if I am guided, I'm never going to have those stupid memories you have with father."

At the thought, Kushina smiled. "Well, you make a reasonable argument," she said. "But don't do anything, okay? After the date, take her home and return."

Naruto nodded. He didn't say anything because he was going through some thoughts, the things he felt when he was with Mikoto. But if he brought those emotions out to play, his mother would be suspicious and she would ask a lot of questions. He didn't want to sin by lying to his mother.

It was best to keep it to himself… well, there was Yugao.

Naruto stood up, "Yugao, follow me," the blond said without looking at the purple haired woman. Yugao followed Naruto silently towards the study. She didn't say a word, thinking he was perhaps ticked off by her antics, but it couldn't have been helped.

As she stepped into the study, Yugao closed the door behind her – she did it as gently as she could. The moment she turned around, she found Naruto standing right in front of her. The intensity in his eyes caused her heart to pace as she took a step back. She stopped when she hit the door behind her.

Naruto drew closer to her, and without warning, his hands were around her waist, pulling her closer. For someone who wasn't gentle, his grab on her was gentle, and it made her feel slightly excited.

The inches separating them were closed Naruto's lips warmly graced hers. He was kissing her. Perhaps it had been merely on instinct, but Yugao did not resist, she kissed back, for a kiss that lasted for about a minute until Naruto removed himself from her and walked towards his desk without saying a word.

Yugao remained plastered on the door, shocked. Not that Naruto had kissed her, but that she had kissed back and had actually enjoyed it.

She wanted to be angry with Naruto for catching her off-guard like that, but she could not muster the expression, "Why did you do that?" She asked in a whisper.

"I wanted to know if kissing you would be different from kissing Mikoto. There are a lot of things about emotions that I do not understand. I wanted to say a kiss is just a kiss, but its different depending on whom you are kissing. Emotions apparently play a role, but what are these emotions?" Naruto responded calmly. "Second reason, before you think of saying anything rhetoric or sarcastic about me and Mikoto, you will remember what we just did."

"I hate you," Yugao said.

"Meh," Naruto shrugged. "I must say, though, I'm surprised that you returned the kiss. I was expecting you to push me away…"

Yugao did not respond to the statement, "So, are you satisfied?"

"In some ways, yes," Naruto said. "But this has brought another question… when kissing you, I felt the desire to move my hands and undress you. What do you call these urges?"

 **End of chapter**

 **I don't have a lot to say on this chapter but just that after the next chapter, things will start heating up again.**

 **And thanks for your reviews**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Naruto stared at Baki with a blank expression on his face. The man had requested to see him; something like that had never occurred before. He had exchanged a few letters in the past to learn how Sunagakure was doing with Gaara set to be Kazekage and how it was after the Jinchuriki had become the leader.

The Kazekage and his siblings were already in the Village, being entertained by Tsunade. They would be sent to his house for him. He had decided against going all the way out to see them.

"What do you want, Baki?"

The man did not show his surprise at the question. He did expect the blond to get straight to the point. It would be good for him if he got to the point and leave the Leaf as soon as possible, so he could get back to the Sand. It was just dangerous leaving the village without any leader, especially when there were some people who didn't want Gaara to continue as Kazekage.

"I want to know your motives," the man said with narrowed eyes. "As I as said before, Suna will not become anyone's toy thing and I will not allow you to manipulate Gaara. He will be independent and rule the Sand as he sees it best for his people. If you have any other intensions, I will not sit back and allow it to happen or for Sunagakure to be used."

There was firmness in the man's tone that left Naruto without a doubt that the man was dead serious in what he was saying. Well, he had foreseen something like this. Nevertheless, it was amusing – his expression might not have showed that much, but he was amused.

"What will you do, Baki, if I say I have great plans for Gaara and Sunagakure? Will you fight me?"

Baki tensed slightly but his resolve was firm. "Anything to protect my village and the Kazekage! I'm grateful for what you did, but I cannot allow the village to be controlled by someone else who has no love for the village and its people. It would be failure on my part to allow something like that to occur."

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he continued staring at Baki for a long minute. "Feel free to attack me at any time, while I'm watching you because if you come at me from behind, I will be angry."

"Am I supposed to be afraid?"

"That is for you to decide, but I will say this just once: you should be afraid, very afraid," Naruto responded calmly before bursting into a murder of crows. The black feathered birds crowed as they slowly made it toward the man. It wasn't long before they surrounded him and Baki found himself staring at the hypnotic eyes of the Sharingan.

Naruto's voice spoke within the murder of crows. "If I wanted, I could have manipulate you with the Sharingan, but I have decided against that because I have no desires to control you or Suna. My intensions were made clear on the day I slaughtered your council and none of my letters to you have suggested anything more, yet you still question," Naruto's right hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Baki by the throat.

It was only his hand that appeared: there was no sign of the rest of his body, just crows cowing.

"I could also kill you because you're the one who killed Hayate, but I will not because Sunagakure doesn't have many capable Jonins like you. In any case, don't think I won't kill you. I can find a replacement for you," the voice of Naruto spoke once more.

He freed Baki before the crows blurred away from the man. The gathered a small distance behind him, forming Naruto's body. "I despise traitors Baki, and your intensions, although understandable, have not pleased me. Remember, I let you live even though you had a part in the invasion… any more, and I will end you. Make no mistake about it."

 **Naruto's House**

Gaara stared at Naruto with an expressionless mask on his face – it was not because there was nothing on his mind or some lingering emotions that he felt; there was something, but the indifferent look on Naruto's face forced that look out of him. Besides, he wasn't known for wearing smiles all day long.

His siblings were flanking both his sides as they waited for the Uzumaki to start talking. They had already talked to the Hokage; this was a person they would speak to before leaving the village. He could not stay here for too long. But of course, he would not leave without speaking to Kushina. The woman had given something that he could not put value on.

When Naruto didn't appear as if he would say anything, Gaara spoke. "I was expecting to see your mother as well. It would be unfortunate if I were to leave without speaking to her…" the Kazekage said calmly.

Naruto blinked once, before responding. "Why do you need to see my mother? Your business is with me…"

Of course he knew why they wanted to see his mother. They had grown attached to her during their time in the Hidden Sand. He had not liked it, but he had tolerated it. His mother liked 'mothering' other people. It was difficult to accept, but there was nothing he could do about it because his mother was much happier that way. He would resent himself to trying to take away something that made her happy.

"Official business, yes," Gaara said. Naruto's tone didn't express any hostility towards the thought, and so Gaara assumed it was safe to go on. "I never knew my mother… she died giving birth to me. At first, I was treated as nothing more than a failure, my own father didn't want me… you could say I lacked that parental love, but your mother made me experience and know what it means to have a mother.

"It was because of her that I even started being something in my father's eyes. I will always be grateful for the experience and what she did for me. I'm sure Temari feels the same," he would not say anything about Kankuro. Things were different concerning him.

From his chair, Naruto tilted his head to the side, and allowed it to rest on his left palm, with his eyes never leaving the Sand siblings. "You will see her after talking to me. I have much to say you, as the Kazekage, little not nothing to your siblings."

Temari smiled bitterly when the blond said those words. "I never expected things to be the same, but aren't you being a little cold? We shared many memories together and you were the person who gave me words that allowed me live without worries. What happened to that person who I grew to admire?"

Gaara chose not to say anything. He could have warned Temari, but she was asking a good question. it was up to debate whether Naruto would answer it or not.

Naruto's eyes fixed on Temari's for a long minute before he responded. "I remember telling to tell those people who were forcing you to wear for the occasion to stop because I said so; I also said that you should not fight the situation, but let us try to live with it, because fighting it won't change anything. Growing into it, would help us get around it. Both of us were stuck in a situation that neither of us wanted."

"Still are…" Temari corrected.

"Yes," Naruto said with a slight nod. "But of what of it, Temari? It was the logical thing to say at that time, surely not out of kindness…" he paused seeing her expression twitch slightly. "In any case, I do not despise you, nor do have anything against you. Maybe I was being a little rude…" but he was not going to apologise for it. "My mother should be in the living room. I'm sure she will be quite ecstatic to see you…"

"It was nice seeing you again, Naruto," Temari said before standing up.

"Kankuro, you can go with her," Gaara said, seeing that Naruto had 'failed' to address his brother. Things could have gone worse, but it was okay. There was still time to repair the bridges. His brother did not fight, he left peacefully.

Naruto sighed once the two left the study. He had thought of his marriage to Temari, but he could not think about it with everything that has been happening around. He just did not feel it. His mother would not allow him to bring that girl here if he was just going to be miserable. She would slap him on both cheeks if he did something like that.

Above all things, she thought of happiness and expected him to think about it as well.

"If I wasn't logical, things would have been different…" Naruto said.

Gaara appeared to think about it for a moment before responding. "Was that on purpose? Your mother will detect it… and she will say something about it."

"It wasn't on purpose but yes, things will go like that," Naruto said. "How are things in the Sand?"

"So far so good. There are challenges as some influential people are resisting my rule, but I should be able to handle it. The village still has some financial troubles, but I think my negotiations with the Wind Daimyo will resolve those matters soon. Aside from that, there haven't been any troubles…"

Naruto nodded. "That is good to know," he said. "If there is anything you need, come to me, I will help you If I can. Whether it be some negotiations with the Fire Lord in terms of trade, I will offer my assistance. Suna should have lost some of its allies for its perceived betrayal of Konoha…"

Gaara raised an eyebrow at those words, but he smiled in the end. "I will keep that in mind," he said. "The Hokage has been a willing ally. Things should not turn any worse in the near future. I'm taking measures to ensure that nothing like what happened before happens again."

"You have one problem," Naruto started. "I'm sure the Godaime has already told you about the Akatsuki since you're are Jinchuriki…"

"She told me to keep an eye on them, but wasn't forthcoming in the details…"

"They are after Bijuus. I don't know when they will make a move, but they are capable shinobi… my life is also threatened, so I will also have to act. Once I have something concrete planned up, I will let you know," Naruto paused as he changed the subject. "Just in case you were wondering, I have no interest in trying in to control Sunagakure. I was merely creating a possible route for me in case Konoha fails."

"I figured as much," Gaara said. "Naruto… I know you're cautious with us since the betrayal. I understand that, but I want to assure you that we won't go through that path. If anything, we'd like to maintain the friendship we shared before everything."

Naruto's eyes fell on Gaara's as the expressionless mask resisted all urges for change. "If I hated your guts, I would never have thought of making Suna an escape route. I'm not an illogical person. I rationalized and gave it a thought: it would be illogical for me resent you for what happened. Things can change, but holding what happened against has no base for conviction.

"Orochimaru killed your father because he refused to go along with his plans. For his own survival, your father could have gone along with the plan, but he refused. I should hold him in high regard for that for sticking to what he believed in. Baki was just stupid and ignorant… but the council wanted it, hence I killed them.

"You're in this house because I have nothing against you. I do not know about friends, because I have never gone out all the way to acquaint myself with other people despite my mother's wishes."

Gaara managed a small smile. "That is good enough for me," he said. "You may not consider me as a friend for now, but I promise you that one day, I will become your friend."

"Why? You know at this point that I would think twice before trying to kill you granted your relationship with my mother stays the same. Basically, you have a slight hold on me…" There was no need to hide it as the redhead had already spent time with him. He knew how things worked, and besides, the Kazekage wasn't stupid.

"As I said, your mother gave me an experience of what it means to have a mother. Since then, I have considered her as family, I still do now," Gaara said firmly. "I simply cannot betray her kindness and the experiences she gave me."

 **Training Ground**

Sasuke sped through the ground, his body lowered as if he was struggling with gravity; a **Chidori** chirping furiously on his right hand, a bit of it cutting through the ground as he ran towards Naruto in blinding speed. He was upon the Uzumaki within a second, and drove the jutsu in a downward strike towards Naruto. The blond moved quickly to avoid the blow by taking a single step backwards.

Sasuke's jutsu pierced through the ground causing an explosion that caused debris to pick up.

As Sasuke pulled his right hand from the ground, Naruto's right foot left the ground and sped towards the air, heading straight towards his forehead. The Uchiha instinctively raised his left hand to act as a shield to block the kick from slamming into his forehead. The kick came in fast and powerfully so; it slammed on his hand, forcing him to slide back to a good distance, with his knees bent.

The moment the momentum stopped, Sasuke was put on alert, as Naruto's left foot crashed heavily just in front of him while was he was still lowered. The right foot came in rushing above, heading straight onto his head. Sasuke crossed both his hands above his head, creating a hastily put defence, but one that would help him as Naruto's kick didn't break through when it brutally crashed into it.

The kick still had enough power to shatter the ground below him.

Sasuke didn't put it into mind as he quickly pushed back Naruto using his footing. He managed to put the blond off balance slightly by pushing away his right foot. In a sweeping movement, Sasuke's right foot cleaned through the ground before hitting Naruto's left foot.

This forced the blond to nearly fall on his back, but he managed to flip quickly and landed on both his feet. The moment he did so, Sasuke was right above him, his left foot aimed at the side of his head. Naruto could only bend his upper body backwards to avoid the blow.

As the foot went past his face, just inches away, Naruto's right hand caught it, but before he could do anything, Sasuke sent a right punch straight at his face. Naruto reacted quickly by lifting up his left hand. He caught the punch with his hand.

Sasuke smirked before lighting burst through his right hand. The lightning went through Naruto's body. The blond reacted by letting go of his hold, freeing his right hand. As he was doing that, Sasuke was holding a single hand seal, preparing to release a jutsu from point blank range.

Naruto's reaction to this was lightning fast; his free hand grabbed Sasuke's face as the Uchiha was preparing to release his jutsu. He twisted around, forcing Sasuke to move with him before mercilessly slamming him to the ground on his back.

Naruto tried to continue with the attack by slamming a punch on Sasuke's gut, but the Uchiha raised his right foot, causing Naruto to jump back. The moment the blond landed on the ground, electric bolts burst through the ground, hitting him head on.

Within a second, Sasuke was right in front of Naruto; a powerful kick slammed into his face, but Sasuke didn't allow the blond to go anywhere – forced by the power behind his kick – he grabbed him by the right hand and twisting once before slamming him into the ground.

…A bit of a payback.

Lying on the ground as he was, Naruto saw Sasuke appear above him, he clasped his hands together, " **Earth Style: Mud Pillar**!" a pillar burst forth from the ground in a fast motion, rising high towards the Uchiha. Seeing that he was going to collide with the jutsu, Sasuke released a Chidori, and cut through the pillar.

Naruto suddenly flashed above him, with a Rasengan in hand. He slammed the jutsu into the back of the Uchiha, but Sasuke suddenly burst into a log. The Rasengan shattered the log into pieces as Sasuke blurred above the blond as he had done with him, a Lightning Cutter masking his right hand. The jutsu pierced through the back of the blond, but Naruto too turned into a log.

Naruto appeared a distance away from Sasuke, standing on the ground. The Uchiha flashed in front of him, a sword at hand. He swung the electrified blade in a swing cutting across Naruto's chest. The blond jumped back quickly to avoid the swing. The swing just passed inches away from him, but a bit of electricity touched his chest.

Sasuke took a single step forward and landed a had knee on Naruto's gut. He flicked his sword to his left and swung it in an upward strike, cutting up from his left heading upward towards Naruto's upper body. This time around, Naruto managed to dodge the strike completely by jumping back.

"T'ch," Sasuke mouthed. "Can't believe I only manage to get just one hit in after paralyzing you," the Uchiha said.

As he was speaking, Naruto was landing and the moment he did so, he summoned his own sword and took off like a bullet, charging towards Sasuke. His sword was coated with the Wind element as Sasuke's was covered with Raiton.

When Naruto was upon him, sword raised high and slashing in a downward strike aimed at around his left shoulder, Sasuke didn't attempt to block it. His blood red eyes told him of the dangers of attempting something like that. He switched to the side slightly, well, more like sidestepped the strike. Although Naruto's sword didn't touch the ground, there was a large slash on the ground after it missed Sasuke.

The Uchiha didn't dwell on that, his right foot swiftly left the ground, rising up quickly as the Uchiha attempted a high kick aimed at Naruto's head. The blond caught the kick with his left hand. It was a firm grip that left Sasuke without an escape.

Feeling the hold was firm, Sasuke used this to his advantage and tried to slam his left foot on the side of Naruto's head, but the blond saw this coming and quickly let go of his right foot whilst pushing it to the side to cause the Uchiha to be off balance. It might have been for a second, but it was enough for him to take a step forward and slam a brutal punch into Sasuke's chest.

The Uchiha felt oxygen escape his lungs for second as the punch sent him sailing backwards. With a second in the air, Sasuke managed to regain his balance and flipped several times before landing on the ground on one knee.

"You still punch so bruta-," the Uchiha trailed off as he looked up.

Naruto was coming in high with a large Rasengan on the palm of his right hand. The fully matured Sharingan morphed into the Mangekyo and a dark purple Susano'o surrounded his body. Naruto's jutsu hit hard, but failed to breakthrough, causing the blond to jump flash away.

"I'm not going to go easy on you," Sasuke said, well more like promised before his Susano'o grew in size, forming just the fully clothed upper body. A weapon was quickly formed, a bow and an arrow. Sasuke didn't stop there, the arrow became engulfed by black flames.

With his left eye bleeding slightly, Sasuke fired the first shot.

There was just no other way to avoid this. While he avoided using it, there was no helping the situation in this regard. Naruto took out the three pronged kunai and threw it to another direction before flashing away. Sasuke had responded in kind by firing another arrow where the kunai was thrown.

There were a couple of explosions that shook the entire training ground as Naruto continued to dodge Sasuke's strikes.

After a couple of seconds, Sasuke fell on his knees as the Susano'o dispersed, his body hurting. Using the Susano'o truly felt as if his body was being torn apart. It was damn painful. He needed to get used to using this jutsu. Amaterasu was another bloody jutsu that just killed him with the pain on the eye that cast it.

Great power came with great pain, huh?

Well, the more he used it, the more he would get used to the pain.

Sasuke stood up after recovering his breath, his Sharingan was still active. Naruto was standing a distance away, he too looked winded. Well, using the Hiraishin to dodge his arrows had to take a lot from him. Those arrows were almost impossible to dodge unless you were a speed freak.

"I will give you this round," Sasuke said calmly as he deactivated his Sharingan.

Naruto didn't offer an immediate response; he looked up into the heavens before taking a deep breath. "That is for the best," he said. "That was a little unfair. Using your jutsu like that… one of those things could kill me, you know."

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "It wouldn't be fun if there was no that fear, and pushing you to the limit is best away to test myself and you…" the Uchiha paused as he changed the subject. "There is still a lot more than I need to learn about the Mangekyo and so much to improve on…"

Naruto said nothing in response.

Sasuke appeared amused. "I didn't think it bothered you that you have hit a wall with your growth while there is still a chance for me to grow much more powerfully than I am. Does it bother you that if I am at my full potential… and without 'that' power you wouldn't be able to fight me on equal ground?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Naruto said with a wave of his right hand. "The potential is there for you, but if you cannot finish me off before your chakra runs out, you cannot defeat me…"

His mother had been right; there was no reason to be afraid. Naruto was ridiculously strong, but he was also strong and he had the Sharingan with him. It wasn't anyone's power, but his power, his bloodline. Naruto would need the Kyubi's power to defeat him when he does attain the Eternal Mangekyo and the Perfect Susano'o.

Still, his chakra reserves were something he needed to resolve. He could not hold a candle to Naruto as he was. He would think about something that soon enough.

"I will develop a seal for you; it will be used to store chakra, and will work like a second pool of chakra. You can access it to replenish your reserves once you have run out of chakra," Naruto said. "It will be different from a soldier pill because it will not carry any health risks."

"This will solve the problem, but I will need to work on my stamina," the Uchiha said. "How are we going to explain this? I'm sure the explosions reached the villagers. We have our guests watching, but not the Hokage…"

Naruto shrugged, "If she found that 'thing' then she was watching," the blond said indifferently. "I must go…" he disappeared without another word.

Sasuke frowned; Naruto was leaving him to deal with the people who were watching them. Surely, someone would come to him to ask questions about their power. The Anbu would not, but they would surely have taken note. He was a brother to Uchiha Itachi – a man who had made history during his time as an Anbu operative.

The Uchiha was thankful when no one troublesome came up. The others seemed to have just disappeared; It was only his former sensei who walked over to him. "Yoh…" the Jonin greeted with an eye smile.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke responded to the man. Kakashi had only come twice during their time away, but he had not seen much in terms of their training. Sasuke had not even seen the man because he had always been busy with his brother and they didn't want the Jonin to know about him.

"You have grown, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "The younger you would have still continued with the fight, regardless of how your body felt. You appear to have great control over your Sharingan – that is something to smile about."

"I had a good teacher," Sasuke was only willing to say. "There is still so much more that I must learn about it, so much more…"

"One never truly stops learning, and for bloodline holders, the potential is always high. You especially with the Sharingan… Possibilities are limitless, but even those who have don't a bloodline can find unlimited potential, as in Naruto's case," Kakashi said calmly.

Sasuke appeared to think for a couple of seconds before shaking his head. "I know I will become much stronger than I am, but I don't know about Naruto…"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Maybe he can take in a few things, but I don't think they will make much of a difference in his power. Naruto grew too fast at a young age… when he was training, he was always pushing to his limits, I think he has reached his limit, a boundary he cannot cross. He has learned what he needs to learn about Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Kenjutsu and Genjutsu… adding more jutsus won't make a difference. He can only refine what he has learned so far…"

It must be frustrating for someone to reach that level. Sasuke didn't have to worry about it, he had his Sharingan. Did everyone else who didn't have a bloodline experience such a thing?

"Well, when he left the village, there was nothing else he could do," Kakashi said. "There are many who have reached that point, but few have managed to break through their natural limits to gain even greater power. Naruto is smart, I'm he will figure a way around it," the Jonin said confidently.

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "What did you think of his fighting them?"

"Not much has changed… well, he did use much more chakra than he used to… but I guess fighting someone like you forces you to do that…" Kakashi said in a thoughtful tone. "How strong are both of you really, Sasuke?"

"I don't know… I have only measured myself against Naruto…" the Uchiha said. "But your normal Jonin would be no match for us."

Kakashi didn't offer an immediate response, but with what he has seen so far, he could agree with the Uchiha's statement. "Have you thought of reforming Team 7?"

Sasuke blinked. "The thought never came to mind… we are one member short… Hinata won't be allowed to come closer to us by her father."

 **Meanwhile…**

 **Hokage Office**

Tsunade leaned back to rest on her chair, but her eyes continued staring at the crystal ball in front of her. Jiraiya had already made his distance to return to his beloved seat. They had been watching Naruto's sparring session with Sasuke, and truthfully had been impressed.

The Godaime Hokage was a lot more impressed with Sasuke. He wasn't the one known for being powerful, but he had shown her that he was a capable shinobi. But of course, she would still have them to a couple of missions before she can give them their Jonin vests. There would be no shortcuts. In any case, she had no doubt about their strength.

"They are both impressive," the blonde Hokage said. "That time, we just saw their speed, but here we saw that they can fight. Well, seeing how much Sasuke has grown at a young age, it is no wonder the Sharingan was very feared those days. Still is…"

Well, she was happy that Konoha had another strong person in its ranks and she didn't have to worry about the Uchiha turning traitor because his clan was here and he would surely be looking forward to restoring it to its former glory. His mother was already laying out the foundations, so there was no reason to say the Uchiha was a flight risk.

She could consider the matter closed.

There was Naruto. Really, the blond gave her a headache. If nothing happened, he was sure to stay in the village along with his mother. But what could tick him off? How would they even try to prevent something like that from happening? Shikaku had a plan, and really, she hoped that it would work for the best.

"He will certainly surpass his brother at this stage," Jiraiya said with a nod. "Well, he is still a genius: It has only been Naruto's shadow that has been a problem. If not, he would have graduated as the best in the academy…" the Sannin paused. "I'm still impressed that Naruto could fight against 'that' without even trying to use the Kyubi's chakra…"

Really, it showed just how much of a capable shinobi Naruto was. Those arrows; they were deadly fast. Admittedly, even though he was a Sannin, he would have difficulty in facing off against a Susano'o. Well, Naruto did have the Hiraishin. Still, it only enabled him to dodge attacks, it didn't give him anything in terms of offensive capabilities.

For Sasuke, the Susano'o didn't just give him a powerful offensive jutsu, it also gave him a good defensive technique. The fact that Naruto had not tried to attack the Susano'o head on meant that he knew it would have been futile. The blond wasn't the one to do things for the sake of it after all.

He was like his father in that regard.

"From what Kakashi said, he has never relied on the Kyubi's power. Most Jinchurikis rely on their Bijuus power to the point where you seal away the power, they become normal. Naruto is dangerous as he is… not just with physical prowess, but mentally as well. We have not put the Kyubi into the picture, so if he can control its power, it will be something else…"

Jiraiya nodded in agreement before changing the subject. "How'd go with Gaara?"

"Fine," Tsunade said. "He seems like an honest kid. He even offered to pay for the damages his village caused during the war, even though Suna doesn't have the kind of resources. I don't think I will have to worry about him. My only concern is his sister though… her relationship with Naruto at least…"

"What about it?"

"According to senseis notes, Naruto got along just fine with her, and Kushina treated those children as if they were her own. However, when I spoke to Gaara, he was not sure if things would be in the same light at this stage because of the invasion."

Well, it was no doubt that Naruto would not forgive anyone who tried to harm his mother. The Toad Sage could even go as far as to say that the blond saw it as nothing less of a sin that was just blasphemous. Although he has grown, the fundamental principles that had made him act the way he had back then were still there. It was just now that Naruto could no longer follow his mother everywhere, but he was still the same Uzumaki Naruto.

"How are you going to deal with it?"

Tsunade shrugged. "It won't affect diplomatic ties even if things go wrong. From the way Gaara spoke, our relationship with the Hidden Sand is safe, and I doubt something like what happened with Orochimaru will happen again. Like I said, Gaara is honest and things are likely to go smoothly from now on," the Fifth Hokage explained lightly. "The marriage proposal was made as insurance, just in case there was a change of heart and a symbol on our part that we were willing to make things work."

Jiraiya nodded in silence. "Konoha is safe as things are concerned. I'm just worried about the Akatsuki."

"There is every reason to be worried," Tsunade said in agreement with her former teammate. "I will send a message to other Kages to see if we can cooperate in dealing with them. We know what they want, but for what we do not…"

"That is what worries me deeply," Jiraiya said with a sigh. "In any case, I should leave the village soon to meet with my contacts. Maybe there will be some new information that they have found."

 **Icharaku Ramen**

Naruto was enjoying his meal alone when he was joined by Hinata. He didn't say a word to her as he continued eating as if he hadn't seen her. In response, the Hyuga ordered her bowl and waited until she was served before speaking in a calm and warm tone.

"How are things in the village? I know you were not the most favoured person before the invasion," Hinata said.

Naruto's eyes turned towards the Hyuga for a moment before he stared at his empty bowl. He had told her to stay away from him because he didn't want to play games with her father. If the man learns that she had met him so publicly, he would not be happy and would come at him with guns blazing.

The Uzumaki didn't fear the man, he just didn't want to deal with it at this stage. He had other things to worry about. His mind was even preoccupied with personal things that were threatening to change how he lives his life.

Well, maybe Hinata had her reasons. She wasn't stupid was she? It was a bit amusing that she was going against his wishes though. The Hinata of the old would have never defied him… yes, it was amusing and so he decided to indulge it.

"So far, no problems," Naruto responded calmly. "There were a couple of raised eye brows when I was seen walking around with Anko, but nothing got out of control."

Hinata smiled, "I'm happy to know that," she said a bit happily. "I have settled in my family; my sister is okay, and I'm trying to lessen the resentment between the main and branch family. So, far I am content with how things are going. Of course there are challenges, but things look good."

"That is good to know," Naruto said calmly. "It is interesting that you still have this gentle side of you. I never resented it and I never tried to change it. but I did want you to show a spine. Perhaps you gave me hope that all was not lost for humans."

Hinata didn't offer an immediate response; she allowed herself to drift into her thoughts before responding. "When other people have done nothing but abuse you, you learn to hate them, despise their very being. Well, that is what most people do."

"But that isn't the case for you," Naruto said. "You may have been treated unfairly, but you have never hated anyone."

"The same can be said about you," Hinata said a bit strongly. "I believe that if you really did come to hate this village for what it did to you, we wouldn't be sitting here together. You may have just decided not to care, thought of them as something less of humans…" Hinata shook her head. "My statement was in reference to my cousin. We are all different, so we respond to situations in different ways. Neji responded in kind to those who hurt him; I responded with kindness, and your response was indifference."

"Interesting," Naruto said. "You've become much knowledgeable with life," he said.

"I want to change my clan… how can I change it if I don't understand the dynamics of life and the core values within people? Before you try to change someone or something, you must first change yourself, unless you're god… or so they say," Hinata stated. "Since I was never able to muster the courage to speak in my younger days, all I did was just observe and observe. I was able to see things that other people were not able to see. I had too much time to think after all."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Are you suggesting that other people had too much too say nonsense without really giving much thought into what they were saying?"

Hinata smiled. "I did not say that…you're the one who is suggesting it," the Hyuga said. "I should not stay too long; my father will surely send people here should I do so. Well, then, Naruto…" she bowed her head in respect in left the blond alone.

 **About an Hour Later**

 **Naruto's study**

Yugao stared at Naruto with an expressionless mask on her face. When Naruto's body language didn't react to her presence, she sighed and spoke. "That was nice of you giving some people an idea of what you two are capable of doing…"

Naruto looked up to the woman with a raised eyebrow – this was because of her sarcasm. People tended to use the language every now and then and even Sasuke was prone to a few sarcastic remarks. "If didn't want anyone to do anything, I would have allowed anyone to watch. Every movement is essential when you have enemies. Careless mistakes will ruin you. I won't discuss that with you in any case," the blond said. "I should be absent from Konoha tomorrow noon at the very least."

Yugao folded her hands across her chest. "You're finally moving," she said.

"I need to find information about the Akatsuki and its leader. Itachi didn't know much about him… all he knew was that he lives in Amegakure and possesses the Rinnegan. There is nothing more we know than that," Naruto leaned back to his chair.

There was the option of going to Amegakure to find out for himself, but that was just risk as he did not know what to expect. What he knew was that he had sent two people there in different occasions and neither had returned. For now, he would try to find out what was inside without going in before making a move.

"I'm not deeply concerned about the masked one because I have him covered…"

"What If your plan fails?" Yugao posed seriously. "What is this plan you have for him anyway?"

Naruto waved his right hand nonchalantly. "You don't have to worry yourself about the finer details. My mother comes first to you… everything else you leave for me to worry about it…" he said a bit firmly. "In any case, I believe that my plan has no chances of failing… as long as I keep it to myself."

Once more again, Yugao sighed, but this time with a shake of her head. "If you were someone else, I'd be worried about you doing something reckless," she said calmly.

"I don't take unnecessary risks. After all, I understand how fragile life is. Humans are much easier to kill, and they can die in many ways – simple to complex…" Naruto said. "Why are you standing so far away?" ever since she entered the study, she'd been standing by the door, her hands folded across her chest. "You also appear to be on guard."

Yugao stared for a few moments before responding. "I don't want you catching me off again," she said.

Naruto tilted his head to the side, trying to understand where the woman was going with her statement. It took about a minute for him to understand it, and in all that time, Yugao had merely stared at him with unblinking eyes.

"Is it really something you ought to guard yourself against?" Naruto asked with a hint of curiosity in his tone. "Unlike me, you must have done it a couple of times… with being a former Anbu. You are trained to use your bodies if necessary. Such a thing to you should be meaningless."

"If it is meaningless to me, shouldn't the same be for you?" Yugao asked. "You're don't operate in the same way as other people do…"

"That cold and logical part of me seems to leave me at times," Naruto admitted. "In any case, this is something new for me. I'm inexperienced in the field, so this makes it difficult to control every aspect of my emotions and actions."

"If you're not experienced with things, don't try them as you did them with me," Yugao was talking about the blond kissing her. "I'm not going to be your test subject. I'm sure even your mother will be disappointed if she learns that her dear son is experimenting on his emotions using real people…" she wanted to add that he had Mikoto to do all kinds of experience but the image was a bit too hot…

Naruto stared deep into Yugao's eyes for about a minute before shaking his head. "What are you afraid of, Yugao? I'm inexperienced, not stupid."

"I'm not afraid," Yugao said a slightly loud tone. "I may have been Anbu, but you should know that even we are people with all emotions. We worked together, you should know better. In any case, do you imagine what would've happened if you were not able to stop?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I don't think I would allow myself to be controlled by my feelings. Nevertheless, if I had not been able to control myself, wouldn't you've control yourself? You're a former Anbu, Yugao, to suggest that I would overpower so simply to force myself into you is a massive ignorance of the facts," the blond said. "Or perhaps it isn't that you would have failed to stop me, but because you allowed yourself."

Yugao opened her mouth to say something but she quickly shut her thoughts. She was still talking to Naruto. He might be inexperienced with emotions, but he was still a logical person. If she continued to say things without thinking them deeply, she would end up looking red-faced. Naruto might be dense in some sense, but with his experiences so far, he would not ask if she was feeling a cold or not.

The woman shook her head as she cleared her thoughts. What was she thinking anyway? Was it safe for her to start such a conversation with Naruto?

"What are you going to do with Temari?" Yugao asked, shifting the conversation from her. "Your mother acknowledges that things are not bright as they had been before the invasion."

"Nothing for now," Naruto said quietly. "There is still some time before I reach 18. I can think of something along the way and things can change. With humans, you can never too sure." He could tell the woman that he may reveal to Tsunade that he 'put' Gaara as leader of Sunagakure and that the Kazekage would have no thoughts of rebellion.

It was a risky move that he would only consider if he was desperate.

Nevertheless, he would need something to mask the relationship with Mikoto. He needed another relationship to dispel all thoughts and rumours. But who would he choose? Naruto shook his head. Wasn't he talking about Temari?

It was nothing to obsess.

With that single thought, Naruto brought the conversation back to Mikoto. "Who do you think will be a lot better suited to be my girlfriend? My emotions don't have to matter, I can fake them if the needs to be any faking."

Yugao stared blankly. Did he just say that with a straight face? It was just unbelievable. "Let me get this straight, you want a toy girl to mask your relationship with Mikoto."

"I didn't say that…" Naruto said.

"For what reason, would you need a girlfriend?"

"Carnal pleasure? An experiment on what a relationship entails?" Naruto offered a couple of reasons.

"But those are not it. You just want a toy," Yugao seemed disgusted by the thought. "Have you no shame in saying something like that?"

"If I had any shame, I wouldn't have said it," Naruto said. "It is apparent that you're not pleased with the idea. Nevertheless, let me clarify things for you: when I said suitable, I meant someone who could understand a bit of me, someone who would understand that there are no strings attached – isn't that what you say? I'm okay with using people, but you should know, I would not use an innocent woman in such a manner."

Yugao blinked at that last statement. Had she forgotten about it? Naruto respected women, well at least most of them. It was something that his mother had taught him when he was younger and even to this day, he still carried that teaching.

"I'm surprised you know about no strings attached," Yugao said, her disgust all but gone. She was rather surprised that the blond actually knew the phrase when he did not engage in that kind of a life. She could not say it was the same with him and Mikoto as the woman obviously had some emotions attached.

"Is it supposed to be a fancy thing?" Naruto asked. "In my kind of life, the phrase applies everywhere..." he did not have to spell it out for Yugao for her to understand what he meant by that. If she did not get it, then it was her luggage for being too slow.

Yugao tilted her head to the side. She knew Naruto very well; maybe she was not willing to dwell much on everything about him, but he was still a logical and cunning shinobi. He should understand it better.

"I forget you see tools in most people..."

Naruto didn't comment on that one. "That simply means that we are both using each other to get what we want. No strings attached, in this scenario, i believe it has to do with emotions. In my world, don't expect anything from me, even when you're in trouble; if i got what i wanted, I'm out," the blond said. "We are drifting off, perhaps because you don't wish to help me. Well, I will figure something out. I will still leave Konoha; I've already told you the first reason."

That meant there was a second reason. "The second reason?"

"I need to find something from Orochimaru. You know we have been trying to search for Uzumaki survivors. I have credible information that leads me to believe that there is one with Orochimaru. Trying to raise hell in his hideouts would be problematic and time consuming. I would rather face the snake himself."

If he had been someone else, Yugao would have asked if he was crazy. Orochimaru was a Sannin and a dangerous person. His name brought fear even to the hardened shinobi. Not even Anbu tried going after the snake Sannin. But Naruto was just going to waltz into his hideout and speak to him.

Yugao shook her head. "Your mother would not be pleased..."

"Naturally," Naruto said. "It would be too dangerous in her opinion. The Hokage won't be informed. Well, it will depend on how things go. If things proceed as planned, i will inform her of my journey. I would rather not have my name being linked to the Sannin," the blond said.

"Isn't she going to ask questions even if you do tell her rather than her finding about it?"

"She will, but when i tell her about it, i have nothing to hide and i don't have to deal with it when it just springs up on me. Besides, I can tell her compelling reasons," Naruto said. "The first reason is understandable and she cannot question; the second, she doesn't need to know because isn't any of her business to know."

Yugao frowned, "Why do I get the feeling that you're going to Orochimaru for both reasons…"

 **Uchiha Compound**

Mikoto stared at Naruto with for couple of seconds before sighing. They were in her bedroom; she was ready for action, but the blond seemed to be preoccupied with his thoughts. She would have to ask what was going on. but really she wanted to go about that after she was done with him. Still, this was her beloved; she could not allow him to struggle while she was here.

She wanted to teach him about life after all. Even though her body was now shouting for her to get on top of him, she held back. She had promised herself that she would not simply allow herself to use him for her needs, but he needed to understand a lot of things about life in general, things that his mother would not be able to talk with him.

"What is wrong?"

Naruto shook his head. "There is nothing wrong," he said. "But ever since I returned to this village, there have been a couple of things that I have experienced. While it hasn't changed much about the way I think, it has opened my eyes about things that I was ignorant of… yet it still leaves me with so many questions."

"You know, there are questions that no one should answer for you, but you must answer them after searching yourself and your desires," Mikoto said calmly. "I will help you with what I can, but some things you must solve on your own. That is what growth means."

"I thought I had grown already…" Naruto said. For all his life, he has been 'accused' of growing all too quickly. Mikoto had even said that he was no longer just a boy but a man. Yet, it is apparent that there is a stage that he had missed.

"You have, but you did not go through teenage years… well, you're still a teenager, but if not brought to you, you would have missed this part. It is fundamental for the building of your emotional attachments when it comes to friends, love and how you view life. Friends influence you in ways you'd not think, and your relationships now help you prepare for the ones you will make tomorrow.

"Shinobi learn through experiences. Theories are useless in real life; you need to have the actual experience to say that you know what you're talking about and to say that I have lived this. At the end of the day, everyone wants to be happy – even you want to be happy."

Naruto has never disputed that. Perhaps most of his joy came from watching his mother smiling and knowing that she was safe and well. Safety was now no longer just an issue, she had to be happy as well. He could not be happy if she was not. However, these days, he was the concern. Concern that he was allowing his youth to escape him without doing the stupid things that other kids do.

She seemed to realise that without the mistakes, he would never have something to reference on when facing the same issue in the near future. He was going to get married, a real marriage. It was only a question of to whom – Temari thing excluded. To be able to make it a success and enjoy life, he needed experience and an understanding of his emotions as well as that kind of a life.

"I'm starting to understand a few things," Naruto said. "When I went out with Ino, I realized that she is a precious friend whom I cannot simply use for my own indulgence. I thought I'd take advantage of her attachment to me, but I cannot do that to her. It would shatter the image she has of me and my mother would certainly be saddened," the blond finished.

"Oh, so things didn't work out with her," Mikoto said, she wasn't feeling particularly anything aside from relief about that. "If you continue to learn more things, you will surely end up living the kind of life your mother wishes for you. It does sadden me that I am not allowed to dream that far ahead."

"It isn't like I'm going to suddenly forsake you," Naruto said. Well, it could be easy. He was far better versed with ditching tools that were no longer usable. However, Mikoto was not a tool, was she? Besides that, it would certainly put him at odds with Sasuke if he ended up hurting the woman.

It was best he keep this up.

He wasn't complaining. This was a valuable experience and something that made him feel the pleasures of life.

"I'm happy to know that," Mikoto said with a smile. "Sasuke isn't to return soon, but if we don't use this time, he might end up finishing the tasks I sent him to do before we get to do anything. We need to take a shower after as well. I would rather not be in a situation where Sasuke's asks me why your scent is all over me."

"That would prove difficult to explain…" Naruto acknowledged. "Nevertheless, I think the expression on his face would be amusing if you simply tell him you were giving me carnal knowledge…"

Mikoto giggled at the thought of her son racking up his brains trying to find out what that really meant, "Itachi would probably do worse…"

 **Naruto' House**

 **The following Morning**

It was breakfast time within the Uzumaki household; it was just three people though. Naruto was still getting used to the idea of having to see Yugao's face every time for breakfast. There were no longer those moments he prepared a meal with his mother when washed the dishes with her – she did everything with Yugao, and when not, they just exchanged duties.

He was slightly feeling left out.

How long has Yugao been with them though? It has been years; he needed to get over his thoughts or else this trivial matter would keep bothering him. There was no problem with Yugao. He trusted her. The fact that he permitted her presence in the house was proof of that.

Was it simply a wish of trying to keep hold of the fading memories of the young days? Yes, if things continue as they are, things would become as normal as they are in other families, but not Uzumaki normal. Naruto shook his head. He was being childish, wasn't he? Well, this was 'his' mother. He was allowed to act that way.

Naruto turned to his mother; she was busy in a conversation with Yugao about something else; it related to new set of furniture she wanted to buy for the Senju compound to replace the old stuff that had run its course. He had seen everything as fine the way he was.

"Mother," Naruto said to get his mother's attention.

Kushina quickly turned her eyes towards her son with a smile. "Yes, dear?"

Her reaction had been quick, it made Naruto smile; Happy that he was still her son no matter who came in to the house. "I will be leaving Konoha later on today. I'm following on a lead about an Uzumaki. If this proves to be correct, I might return with another member to the clan," the blond said.

Kushina beamed up. That was the first time she was hearing that there was a possibility of another Uzumaki being alive. Ever since they had started searching, years ago, there has never been any positive news. This wasn't tangible information but it was enough to make the woman start dreaming again. If it wasn't something, Naruto would not bothering in leaving the village to follow it.

Honestly, Kushina was excited.

"That is some good news in a long time," she redhead said with a wide smile. "Do you want me to follow?"

The hope in her eyes, it hit Naruto like a hard kick on his temple: if this information was true and Orochimaru did in fact have the Uzumaki, he could not fail. He would not. He would come back with something: either something or proof that the person does exist.

His mother would not be disappointed. He could not give her hope and then take it away. It would be cruel of him and he would not forgive himself for doing something like that to his precious mother.

Naruto shook his head slightly. "It could be dangerous and I have to travel."

Kushina was silent for a few moments before nodding. She knew that he meant that he would be fighting. Naruto didn't want to his mother in a battlefield. He hadn't even allowed her to smack some senses into the villagers back then when they would get into her nerves.

Of course the fact that he was going to be fighting raised questions, but Kushina did not ask them. She didn't want to put Naruto in an uncomfortable position. He was strong and could handle himself. He wasn't also the stupid idiot would run into battles even though he could not handle them.

"Just be careful," Kushina said in a warm, yet firm tone.

Naruto smiled. "When have I ever not been careful, mother?"

Kushina tilted her head to the side as she pondered about the question. Naruto hadn't actually expected her to think about it: it was after all, a rhetoric question. "Since never," she said smiling. "But even though you're strong, you are still my precious son. I will always worry about you… not only when you go out to fight, but even when you go out to hang out with friends because that is what mother's do."

Naruto nearly frowned, but he shook it off. "You have nothing to worry about, mother," he said firmly. "I won't be leaving alone anyway… I will take Anko with me… I just need for the Hokage to give permission for her to leave…"

"She is one of your friends, right?" Kushina said to Yugao – who nodded. the Uzumaki turned back to Naruto. "Do you not see the trend here?"

Naruto blinked, "What?"

"Yugao, Mikoto, Ino, Temari, Hinata and now Anko," Kushina said the names firmly. "You have a lot of female friends but very few male friends. If we don't count Sasuke…we remain with just Shikamaru. I'm beginning to think you like women a lot…" of course to think that he liked them in a way that Jiraiya does was just ridiculous.

This was her Uzumaki Naruto after all.

"Perhaps it is because they are the ones I have been able to get an understanding with," Naruto said. And it could be that he could assert himself to them. Most males wanted to be the top dog, but Naruto didn't allow for that. He didn't like people he couldn't use. "Well, you will be happy to know that Gaara wishes to make me his friend, and Hinata brought her cousin to me."

Kushina beamed up at the Gaara part. "There is no reason you shouldn't be friends with him," the woman said. "Both of you are Jinchurikis; you have been through some stuff and I think it will be easy for you to understand each other, don't you think so Yugao?"

Yugao blinked when the eyes of both Naruto and Kushina fell on her. She had been a mere spectator before and now the conversation had turned to her. She smiled, "I don't know much about the Kazekage, but he seems to be a nice person," the woman said.

Kushina seemed disappointed by the answer. "That wasn't the answer I was looking for," the woman said.

Yugao smiled, "I know," she said. "But if Naruto is as smart as he claims to be, he should understand what you're saying a lot better. Right, Naruto?"


	23. 23

**Outskirts of Konoha**

Naruto came to a halt in his movements as he sensed Sasuke behind him. He didn't land on the ground, but remained on the tree. "Why are you following me, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha landed on the same tree branch Naruto was standing on. "I thought we were partners," he started in am emotionless tone. "And now I learn that you're going out, leaving me to suffocate in that village."

It was a bit frustrating not having anything to do. Really, he was a warrior and waking up every day to know that there was no job waiting for him was a little bothersome. Why had he even spent days sweating and killing himself in order to become powerful? Wasn't it so that he could use this power? It was being wasted staying still in Konoha.

He wanted to do something that would challenge him, something that would push him and make him realise that he really did need that training he did with Itachi and with Naruto. Being in Konoha waiting for Tsunade to come up with an interesting mission was a complete waste.

Naruto always had something interesting to do, and although he could not get the details out of Yugao, he knew the blond was going to fight. He was like that and always up to something. His brother had admitted it after all… Naruto was a scheming person, manipulative and above all, dangerous. Well, if you were not his friend.

"Are you a child now Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a look on his face. "Do you really need to tag along in everything? I didn't call you because I wanted to go on my own. Besides, this is something a bit personal that I need to handle… Don't think for a moment that I didn't call you because I decided it was too dangerous; I'm not your mother."

But still, he would need to plan something for the Uchiha, otherwise he would insist in tagging along. Sasuke could be difficult at times. One way of dealing with this child was just giving him the toys he wanted and show him the playing field outside or else he wouldn't stop crying.

What could be worthwhile that would make the Uchiha turn on another way?

"I didn't say you were my mother!" Sasuke snapped a bit impatiently before calming himself. "Then, where are you going? I don't buy that crap about things being personal. The only personal thing for you is your mother. If she is back in Konoha, it isn't something you can't involve me.. The fact that you don't even want to tell him does leave me curious and even more interested in following you."

Naruto shook his head.

"What do you think of the current status in the Elemental Nations?" Naruto asked the Uchiha as he settled down on the tree branch. There was time allocated for disturbances, so he could manage with this one but in the end, he would not leave with Sasuke – they would take different paths.

"If that is your attempt to divert me away from the main subject, it is pathetic coming from you," Sasuke said with a snort.

Naruto's eyes went towards the Uchiha – who stared back fiercely – but the blond didn't say anything about the stare. His eyes looked down between his legs. "It is that kind of an attitude that makes me question if you really have grown. But let us get this straight, I will not be crossing the borders with you. I asked you an important question, now answer it, Sasuke."

Sasuke was just reminded of the Naruto who used to bully him when they were still young. Of course he was no longer that boy and would not allow Naruto to bully him around. Even so, he knew when to push and when not to. If it had been the days of the old, he would have put in an argument and the blond would have come up with a way to disable him.

He couldn't do that now because beating him up wasn't as simple as it was back then. But he knew Naruto would just come up with a way to get away from him without picking up a fight. Yes, that was very possible and since he didn't know where the blond was going, he could not risk that.

"I haven't given it much of a thought," Sasuke said.

Really, aside from his clan, there was nothing much that he thought about. He was never truly exposed to this world and how it acted to form a point of view. But what would it change if there was any difference? Would it affect how he lived his life?

His brother was someone who understood much about what happened around the shinobi world and Naruto knew it as well. their conversations used to go towards that line when they were talking. There was the issue of peace that his brother often brought up, but it was something that Naruto never entertained. He just didn't seem to care about it.

"That ignorant part of you truly bothers me," Naruto said in a flat tone. "You're going to be a leader of your clan. To remain ignorant means never knowing anything. Don't become a foolish leader, be knowledgeable of the things around you. No matter how humans may try to deny this, but the environment around us shapes our thoughts. Even I am influenced by what the world and the things that pertain to life itself."

"What do you want from me?"

"Learn about the shinobi world, Sasuke. without purpose, you just wonder about this world and eventually, you might fall into the dark-side because it will keep knocking if you just stay still without a purpose…" Naruto said. "This world is treacherous, it is evil, you cannot trust It, lest you're a masochist you enjoys being backstabbed. The weak are devoured, and people like you are easily called into the other side by the silver tongues of the masters of darkness.

"If you choose to ignore this world, it will give you a rude awakening and you cannot walk with me if you have not opened your eyes. I have big dreams, and those behind me must also dream big. If not, I will discard them unless there is a special reason…"

Sasuke stared for a few moments before snorting. No matter what Naruto said, he wasn't going to leave him. Sasuke wasn't going to say it aloud, but he knew the reality. As long as his mother remained, there would be no changes. It wasn't the Sharingan that attracted the blond – that kind of thing didn't matter. Naruto was most concerned about the effectives of a person than anything else.

"Then?"

"What do you do if you do not want the world, to rule over you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke blinked before asking. "Is that rhetorical?"

Naruto shook his head before standing. "You're a little bit bellow to have this kind of a conversation apparently and you wonder why I do not discuss some things with you. When we returned to Konoha, you were most interest in finding out about how the villagers would react to my return so that you could form a decision, but now you seem to have reverted to being a mere child.

"In any case, the answer is this: if you do not want someone to control you, you stop them, you control them yourself. I'm saying that this world influences me in ways I do not like and as long as I live in this shinobi system, I will be its victim. To stop being influenced, we must influence the system; we must shape this world with our own hands."

Sasuke was silent for a few moments. This was certainly something big and Naruto didn't just say things just for the sake of saying them. He was serious about changing things in the Elemental Nations. He knew that Naruto liked things going his way, but there were so many forces outside that surprised him every now and then.

"The main problem is the Akatsuki. Once they are removed, I may be able to see the world I desire," Naruto said calmly. He took out a scroll from his cloak and threw it at Sasuke. "Go to the Valley of End; you will meet Sai. Give him that scroll and request that he take you with him when he goes to back to the hideout. I will join you in a day or two."

Sasuke stared at the scroll for a few seconds before asking. "What is in here?"

"If you want to find out, open it," Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now, I think I have delayed my journey long enough."

"You still didn't tell me where you are going…"

Naruto waved his right hand dismissively. "I will fill you in when we meet up. If things happen, I might need your hands. So, be ready because I might send you somewhere by end of this day. It will really depend on how things favour me in my meeting."

After speaking, Naruto disappeared.

 **Orochimaru's Hideout**

There was no doubt that he was walking within Orochimaru's den. The dark atmosphere, the eerie silence and the traps that were laid for unwanted guests just confirmed that this was indeed the right place. But just because this was the right place didn't mean that he would find the snake waiting for him. It would be a lie for one to say he has mastered Orochimaru's movements.

The snake Sannin was certainly good when it came to hiding. It may not even be far off the mark that he was able to know the location and possibly meet the man because wanted to see him. Orochimaru might be an arrogant, morally crippled sadist, but he was still a genius and a powerful shinobi with so much knowledge about this world, the hidden world that one would certainly feel naked when the snake dishes out his knowledge.

Of course the twisted part of the man and the arrogance made him appear normal. Well, perhaps that was how things were balanced out. If Orochimaru wasn't arrogant, he would certainly be one scary person. Naruto was sure that he wouldn't even be here alone – it would have been too soon to come and he would certainly appear to be a child in before the man.

Wasn't it something that he had such thoughts of that thing? Since when did he have such thoughts? There were very few things that he disliked, and Orochimaru was one of those things. An outright resentment wasn't there, but he had been tempted at once. He was just a little complex inside to have such feelings.

Or maybe he did have them, but buried deep inside a dark side of himself. Naruto shook his head, it was just ludicrous that he was having these thoughts. Perhaps it was the boredom that was making him think like this. There has certainly been nothing complex to make his mind wo-

The blond was pulled out of his thoughts when a stinking smell pressed into his nose. It wasn't just the smell, but also whimpers and pained cries. He came to halt and realized his surrounding; the passage was surrounded by cells with miserable humans inside, hurt, hopeless, just hoping to die but no energy to commit suicide.

It was just disgusting.

Not the pitiful humans inside the cells, but how far one human could go. It was a person with a heart doing this to other people. even though he really didn't care about other humans, he would not go this far. It was just immoral and really despicable.

Maybe he didn't just dislike Orochimaru. It was okay to thoroughly despise the snake Sannin. The man had put his mother's life in danger, ruined a good thing with Sunagakure, killed the Kazekage and was responsible for the Sandaime's death. It was alright to say he resented the snake and would not have a problem shedding his skin with his bare heads.

Naruto's indifferent eyes looked into some dead eyes. He looked away and continued walking without saying another word. 'I didn't think you'd walk away like that,' Kurama said to Naruto.

'What did you expect me to do?'

'Open the cells or just kill them yourself to help them from their misery. I'm sure they have experienced enough, death is the only good thing,' the Bijuu reasoned. 'Still, considering that you appear to have soft spot for powerless humans, I thought you'd do something. These are those you are willing to consider as humans not just monkeys.'

'I'm not that kind,' Naruto said. 'But my mother would certainly be disappointed if she found out about something like this. She has certainly taught me better. In any case, freeing them would be pointless. There is nothing that I can do for them. If I free them, they are just going to be captured again.'

If he tried to say something, it would appear as if he was trying to push some morals into the blond. Kurama could not bring himself to be like that. He didn't care about the humans. Yes, he wanted to point out that Naruto would be contradicting himself by just looking away from the situation, but if he did that, it could be read in another way. Besides, he was sure Naruto was very much aware of his actions.

The Bijuu chose not to say anything in the end.

Naruto walked for a couple of minutes before reaching what appeared to be a hall. Before him, there was a large snake throne in which Orochimaru was sitting with Kabuto right by him.

"It feels as if I have just appeared a majesty…" the blond said loudly.

"Why don't you get on one knee then just to make it a reality?" Orochimaru offered with a grin. It wouldn't be so bad to have the Kyubi's Jinchuriki kneel before him. he would certainly feel like a majesty. Then again, wasn't he the majestic Sannin already?

"I'd feel filthy bowing before the majesty of immorality," Naruto still managed to keep emotions out of his tone. The mask on his expression was just indifferent and the eyes didn't reveal anything.

It would be a day he would not forget. No, it would not happen, not ever. He had just admitted that Orochimaru was to be despised. He would rather skin the man alive than bow before him. The snake did not deserve such an honour, not even a mocking bow.

"Majesty of immorality?" Orochimaru mouthed before laughing. "I am honoured Naruto-kun. What shall I name you then? You just watched the subjects in those cells without a hint of pity but with indifference and just walked away. Are you any different? A person with morals would have done something…"

"I don't actually care for humans. In fact, I would rather have humans disappear from this world and just live with animals," Naruto responded calmly. That was certainly the truth, but of course his mother had to be present in that world. It would be meaningless for all humans to disappear without his mother appearing. Of course he wasn't going to tell Orochimaru something like that.

It would just be intentional stupidity.

"Kukukukukukuku," once again, Orochimaru laughed. "You're very interesting, Naruto-kun. Since our encounter a couple of years ago I have taken much interest in you. Honestly, I was surprised and impressed by what you managed to pull. Well, that is what one would expect from the son of the Yondaime Hokage."

"Don't be ridiculous, Orochimaru," Naruto responded in a flat tone. "Genetics don't necessarily have anything to do with your intelligence or what you become. Your parents may have a couple of idiots…"

Orochimaru stared at Naruto for a long minute before speaking once again. "Yes, true. There are many cases to reference. I guess it depends on your own skills and desire. But there are just some of us who are born geniuses and some like you, are created because of this world and the circumstances that life ushers into your life." The Sannin tilted his head to the side. "What do you want?"

"I want some information regarding the Akatsuki. I know you're a former member," Naruto said calmly. "I'm also led to believe that you have been keeping a certain redhead around your labs. My Intel suggests she may be Uzumaki. If true, I want her… her blood is very precious…" much more than Orochimaru or anything he is worth.

"Oh? You must be talking about Karin and yes, she is Uzumaki, but I cannot give her away. I still have some use for her. Maybe after I have finished using her, I will throw her towards your way," Orochimaru said with a laugh. "What makes you think I will even give you information about the Akatsuki?"

"We can negotiate…"

Orochimaru burst out in laughter. "Tsunade will certainly have Anbu sleeping under your bed if she learns about something like this. But what is it we can negotiate, Naruto-kun? I know that you're using Danzo's Root, your relationship with Itachi and I suspect that you may have been involved in the slaughtering of Suna's former council."

"I actually lied when I said negotiating with you," Naruto said calmly. "I would rather watch you burn slowly from the inside out than negotiate with you. I just wanted to see how much you knew. It seems you know a lot…"

That wasn't much of a problem regardless. Orochimaru wasn't going to go around at Konoha to tell on him. it wouldn't benefit the man if he did that. Perhaps a few threats of exposing him would be much more fun to him, but Naruto could handle that. He didn't fear the snake Sannin that much… no not even a little. This was something that was much lower than a human, fearing it would just be ridiculous.

Negotiating with the man would really just be a problem. The man had a magic hat full of tricks, Naruto would rather not have that. It wasn't the only reason he would not enter into negotiations with the snake – with what he had seen so far, it would just be dirtying himself 'partnering' with the man. Really, Orochimaru was an animal that needed to be brutally murdered than to be entertained.

Orochimaru tilted his head to the side, slightly surprised that Naruto would have the guts to do something like that. well, then again, this was the very same brat who had cut off his head when he had tried to brand Sasuke with the cursed seal. An embarrassing moment for him that had been.

Still it was different; at that moment, Naruto didn't have a choice but to try to attack him to save Sasuke – whom he had been protecting. Things were different now, he had come all the way from Konoha just to look for him. He knew that Root Anbus have been digging around his hideouts looking for Intel about him, locations and activities.

What was the blond banking on to save him? Orochimaru felt much curious than before. "This is interesting, Naruto-kun…" the snake paused for a moment. "What are you going to do now that you know that I know more about you?" the curiosity was clearly evident in the expression of the Sannin.

"I didn't have any plans of fighting you before I entered this place, but now I think it would be a sin to leave you be… honestly, I despise your very existence. To me you're not even human, but a an animal that must killed. You have wronged me, but aside from that, you have wrong many innocent people," he didn't care about them, but it didn't change the fact that it was 'things' such as Orochimaru had had nearly made him lose hope in humans ever being good.

"Kukukukukukuku," another fit of laughter from Orochimaru. "What are you going to do about it?" the Sannin asked again.

"I guess I should murder you," Naruto said taking a step towards the Sannin and his number two.

Orochimaru raised his hands in mock surrender. "Unfortunately, we were just on our way out, Naruto-kun, so we cannot play with you today. But I do have someone who will entertain you… and should you survive, we will see how strong you have become…" the moment the snake said those words, Orochimaru vanished into thin air.

As footsteps echoed through the hall, Kabuto bowed slightly, "It was good seeing you once again, Naruto-kun. Until then…" he also vanished.

Naruto stood still, he didn't chase after them. He probably should but that wasn't on the plans for today. If a battle was going to happen, it was supposed to happen here, if not, he would not entertain it. He could not have things go wrong that way when he didn't know what else to expect. Despite his arrogance, Orochimaru was still a powerful foe who should not be underestimated.

The blond Uzumaki looked ahead as the footsteps came to a halt; he was looking at a woman. "What is your name?" He probably shouldn't ask names of monkeys, but for everything to run in the way he liked, that was the best way to go about things.

Guren blinked at the question. When was the time she had an enemy who asked her that question? It certainly caught her by surprise. it was usually an exchange of jutsus and insults without the need to know names. Still, the woman responded, "Guren," she said.

"Guren… I see," the blond said in a thoughtful tone. "Orochimaru must not really have any use for you to leave you with me. It is also safe to assume that this hideout has outlived its usefulness. Well, if I discovered it, chances are that someone else was going to discover it as well."

What got to Guren was that he said Orochimaru no longer had any use for her. It made her narrow her eyes in slight anger. Her master still cared for her, and she was still going to be his vessel even though he has being putting her on hold for years now, she believed his words.

"What makes you say that? Do you even think that you can defeat me?"

Naruto didn't offer an immediate response to Guren, "When I was just a brat, I cut off his head and slammed a Rasengan into him… left him headless lying in the middle of a forest…" the Kyubi's chakra should have entered Orochimaru's system. He had specifically used a Rasengan powered by the raw chakra of the Bijuu knowing that it was poison to humans. Orochimaru was a special case, though wasn't he? "I doubt he would sell that memo to his tools though…"

Guren clenched her fists. True Orochimaru was a lot closer than that glass wearing nin and no longer told her things as he used to before. The number 2 was the one who did important missions and she was forced to take orders from the very man who she believed didn't love their master enough to be his right hand man.

"Even if Orochimaru thinks that you're strong, defeating you here would just prove my worth, right?"

"In all accounts it should," Naruto said calmly, "but I doubt you can do that, Guren. Well, I do not like to sound arrogant, so I will rephrase that and say, we won't know that until we-"

The blond trailed off when Guren slammed her foot down the floor and crystal spikes burst through beneath him. He quickly jumped up to avoid being pierced by the spikes. He didn't make the stupid mistake of taking his eyes off his opponent. When he jumped off, his eyes kept staring at the woman.

He watched her as she lunged towards him with a small crystal spear in her right hand. The woman was in front of him within a second, within the air. Guren drove the spear towards his chest. Her strike was quick, but Naruto reacted quickly by blurring out of sight.

He appeared on the floor once more, but not looking forward to a fight. "That is a rather unique ability you have, Guren. I don't think there is anyone else who has that ability. It is interesting… well, Orochimaru does like to keep himself surrounded by special people."

"Are you not going to fight?" Guren asked, seeing that the blond wasn't making any attempts to charge towards her.

"It would be meaningless to do so. I would rather not waste my time fighting a battle that does nothing for me in the end. I just don't fight for victory, unless the only desire is to kill the opponent." Naruto responded calmly.

Guren truly felt insulted by that response. She interpreted those words as that she doesn't have anything of interest and that she wasn't worth the effort. She was insulted, really so. If she hadn't been motivated a few moments ago, she now was.

"I will make you regret those words…"

Naruto shook his head. "You're confusing my response as a measure to your worth or power. I didn't say you were weak. Quite the contrary, you're a powerful kunoichi, it is just that fighting you doesn't benefit me in any way and it isn't the requirement for me to leave this place."

"What are you suggesting? Do you really think that I will allow you leave? Who wins will be the one to leave this place…"

"This takes us back to what I was saying," Naruto said as he folded his hands across his chest. "You've become expandable and perhaps no longer needed. Whoever wins should a battle occur is the one that will remain alive… Orochimaru must have known this, and he left you alone with someone who 'defeated' him when he was just a brat."

"Enough of this!" Guren shouted.

Naruto raised an eyebrow but he didn't get to respond because just then, the voice of a child spoke, "Guren san…" Yukimaru called as he walked into the hall with a worried look on his face.

Before Guren could even look alarmed at the situation, Naruto was already in front of the boy. He had moved so fast that she hadn't even blinked before he could disappear. A half of a second ago he was away from her and the next he was in front of Yukimaru.

He could not have seen the look on her face when she heard Yukimaru call right? Even if he did, there was little time for him to note the look, form a conclusion before rushing over to the boy. There wasn't a person who thought that fast, not even her precious master. How was he able to do it though?

Guren glared at Naruto. Attacking the boy was a smart move, but it was something that made her very displeased. Was this his plan to get out of here without fighting her? If so, it was stupid. This just gave her more than two reasons to fight him. The fact that she could prove herself to Orochimaru by defeating him was all the motivation she needed but this just made her a dangerous person.

"What are you…" Guren wanted ask, but she didn't get to finish as Naruto grabbed Yukimaru by the throat before turning to face her with the boy kicking in mid-air as he struggled to breathe and get out of the firm grip on him.

"It is interesting that someone who has so far lived to bring other people pain can have that kind of an expression," Naruto said in a calm tone, not even bothered by the fact that he was suffocating Yukimaru. "These eyes are innocent, and they are cared for. That much is evident by your expression, but does someone like you deserve to have something important to you?"

"I swear if something happens to him, I will hunt you down and murder you with my own hands!" Guren swore as she took some giant steps towards Naruto. Her tone was just dangerous and cold. A lessor man would have been frightened but it had no effect on Naruto whatsoever.

"When I came in here, I saw so humans who have been made to suffer by Orochimaru. Poor miserable humans, I can almost pity them… You might not have been involved in the experiments, but there is a chance that you kidnapped them from their villages. You took them from their beloved; don't you think it's only fair if I take something from you as well?"

Guren had no response to that. She certainly hasn't been a saint and has enjoyed seeing so many things happening in Orochimaru's hideouts. She had watched with joy when experiments kill each other but she could not stand it happening to Yukimaru. She had after all become attached to the boy. He was someone important to her and she could not just watch him suffer.

She knew that if she tried to attack, he would use Yukimaru as a shield. He wasn't even giving her an opening and with the speed she had just witnessed, there was no getting the jump on him. She was in a bind in this situation and it wasn't very pleasant. It was usually the other way around.

"There is redheaded girl named Karin, where is she?" Naruto demanded.

'Redhead?' Guren thought for a few moments. "I don't know…" she said.

"I'd say he has about a few seconds before the oxygen inside his lungs run outs and it will be lights out for him," Naruto said calmly.

"I don't know where she is!" Guren shouted.

"Really?" When the blond asked that question, Yukimaru was no longer kicking out, he was out of energy, out of breath and slowly drifting towards the world of unconscious bliss.

"I swear I don't know where she is. She keeps moving around the hideouts…"

Naruto dropped Yukimaru do the ground before responding. "I see," he said. "Would you mind 'escaping' this place now? Or you can free the humans while I set up explosive tags around this hideout…"

Guren looked at the blond as if he was crazy. "Why would I do something like that?" He had freed Yukimaru, she wasn't in any bind to do as he pleased.

"Never mind," Naruto said with a shake of his head. He created ten clones before speaking to Guren one last time. "Well, Guren… we will meet again… well, if Orochimaru doesn't kill you. If not, we shall meet…" he disappeared along with his clones.

Guren just sped towards Yukimaru without even pausing to think about Naruto's last words. she was most concerned about Yukimaru's health than anything. Naruto could wait, it wasn't like she was going to forget every word he had said to her anyway; she had a strong memory and would not forget this encounter.

A few minutes later

'I'm surprised that you bothered to free those people,' Kurama said to Naruto. the blond had walked away without looking as if he was going to do anything. Well, he shouldn't really be surprised. Although he has toned it down a notch, Naruto was still a mother's boy.

Naruto was hopping through the trees heading towards the fire country. When he heard the Kyubi's voice, he did not slow down; he just continued speeding through the forest, knowing that Sasuke was waiting for him.

He had to make another stop somewhere else. It would be for the rest of the day and he would be on the move again in the next day. He had told Sasauke that they would meet up in a day or two.

'Don't be surprised by my actions,' Naruto responded calmly. 'You're being awfully talkative,' the blond noted.

It wasn't like the Bijuu to speak to much with him in just one day. Usually, the Bijuu just kept its thoughts to it self. They only talked when he made his appearance in the cell. Perhaps it was getting bored being all alone with nothing but water as its surrounding and a lack of a changing scenery.

'You're just doing things that make me comment,' Kurama said calmly. 'Aside from that, I'm bored and I don't necessarily hate you enough to refuse speaking to you. You also much different from the other humans, and as you have said, we are somewhat similar in our dislike for humans.'

'Interesting,' Naruto said.

'Don't confuse my words,' Kurama said in a firm tone. He didn't need to explain for Naruto to understand what he meant by those words. The blond Uzumaki was smart enough to conclude things without them being spelled out for him.

'Don't take me for a naïve child,' Naruto retorted. 'I did what I did. It wasn't because of kindness anyway. In their state, the sexually demented and slavers won't take them. They are already damaged and the worst that can happen is that they can kill themselves.'

'Sometimes I wonder if you're really Kushina's son,' Kurama said. 'Why didn't you kill that woman? You're don't show mercy and I'd be baffled if you said that you have stopped killing humans or that reason you gave her was your real reason. You didn't fight her because you would've ended up killing her, that I understand…'

'She will be useful in the days to come,' Naruto responded calmly. 'I have tested her character and I know her weakness. Admittedly, her weakness is like mine, but that matters little. What is important is that I can use her, if she still alive when I need her power.'

Kurama couldn't help but laugh. The blond wasn't really above using humans, and really, he didn't have allies, he had tools. Maybe the Uchihas were a little different but everyone else was possibly tools for the blond to use for his purpose.

The Bijuu didn't say anything further though. He retreated to his own thoughts.

 **The following day**

 **Unknown Location**

There were chakra signatures all over the place, but a few moments ago, he hadn't been able to sense anything because of the barrier around this location. This was a base of operations for the Ne, but it also acted as a training ground. The house that was built in the middle of nowhere was surrounded by booby trapped fields and an underground facility beneath it.

Shinobi with plans had this kind of things around the Elemental Nations, why not him as well? Naruto was also planning things so it was only convenient that he also have his own hideout.

The Ne group was one that would get him in trouble if discovered that he was leading. As far was Konoha was concerned, Ne agents had died along with Danzo.

"This is quite the space you have created," Sasuke said as he appeared behind Naruto. It bothered him a little that Naruto had kept something like this from him, but he was impressed.

The blond was standing at the entrance of the house. With Sasuke present, Naruto opened the door and walked through the large sitting room into the what appeared to be a study. "Copy my hand signs with your Sharingan," Naruto said before doing hand seals. Once he did so, he flashed away.

Sasuke followed the same example with his Sharingan activated and disappeared as well. He appeared inside a large underground room. He could sense chakra signatures within, but his eyes could not see anything. He just followed Naruto out of the room and they went towards a passage that was lit with candles. The blond turned into a corner and entered into what appeared to be a war room.

There was only one person in the room and it was Sai.

Naruto took a seat beside the large wooden table before speaking. "Welcome, Sasuke," the blond said. "I hope you've grown enough that you won't become a liability."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Will you stop treating me like a child? I get that enough from my mother, and with her I cannot get mad because she is my mother, but it is insulting when you also treat me like a child and hide things from me…"

"I can believe that," Naruto responded calmly. "But your attitude sometimes makes it difficult to trust you with some things. Though you'd never sell out, I find some difficulty in telling you everything. Perhaps some parts of me still see you in the same light as you were before we left Konoha. In any case, I should start trusting you."

Maybe he also felt like an adult because he was sleeping with Mikoto. Really, sometimes Sasuke was just a child and he was the adult. Sometimes he needed to wait for Sasuke to leave the house or sleep for him to get serious with his mother. It was like parents trying to keep the eyes and ears of their child innocent away from the adult conversations.

"I'm listening," Sasuke said, his blood red eyes firmly on Naruto.

"I should start where I was…" Naruto started.

"You'd gone to Orochimaru," Sasuke interrupted before Naruto could continue. "I figured that'd be the only reason you'd leave Konoha. If it was the Akatsuki, you would have said so and we would have gone together. even if it was something that has to do with the future you would have told me. But why didn't you go with me?"

"Because your presence would have made things difficult. You cannot forget that Orochimaru once tried to brand you with the cursed seal. We already know that it might have been a plan to get you to become his vessel. With your presence, he would have come much trickier to deal with because he would have persisted in seeing how far you have grown. It is a little different with me because I don't have any special ability or bloodline, things that Orochimaru prices, especially the Sharingan."

Sasuke still didn't find the problem in that situation. If Naruto was saying that Orochimaru was dangerous, it was going to be easy to deal with him because the two of them wouldn't have had much difficulty in fighting Orochimaru. Maybe the problem was just Naruto more concerned with his plans than anything. certainly, if it was about the danger the blond was fearing, then both of them would have dealt with the situation.

Another matter was perhaps the hassle of dealing with the situation. If Naruto put had his mind to it, he could have worked out a plan that would negate all consequences that could arise from his presence.

"Is there any other reason?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "I was also handling something important for my clan. There is an Uzumaki that is with Orochimaru… before I went there, it was all just a rumour but now I am certain of it. there was the danger that we would not be able to find any other Uzumaki alive in the Elemental Nations – which would kill off any thoughts of restoring the clan."

Sasuke raised an eye brow at the response. He could understand Naruto trying to handle clan matters alone. It was something personal – anyone could understand it, but there seemed to be more to his explanation. "What would have happened if it had turned out to be false?"

"I would have been disappointed enough to eradicate everything that was within site. My mother wishes for this to happen, and to some extant; it is my desire as well," Naruto responded calmly. "We must limit the number of days Orochimaru has to live in this world."

Sasuke smiled, "Since you when did you start deciding who should live in this world?"

There were was no other way to interpret what Naruto was saying than that. Sasuke knew that it didn't just end with Orochimaru. More people would be removed from this world. The blond has admitted that he would rather not have most humans living in this world. The only reason he hasn't taken the effort to reduce the population was because his mother was alive and she would not agree to it.

Naruto didn't respond to that question; it was pointless. "I'll set a timeline and shall decide when Orochimaru must leave this world. Then, we will face the Akatsuki. Until every one of them is dead, we will begin you trying to 'manage' this world."

Sasuke snorted. Naruto wanted nothing more than to have the world in the way that would please him. There was no question that the blond found humans to be disgusting creatures, even though he was one of them. For him to live peacefully with his mother, this world would have to be peaceful. The how didn't matter, as long as it was shaped in way he liked, the blond wouldn't mind, even if it was shaped by blood.

"What is this?"

"Just a base of operations," Naruto said with a wave of his right hand. "To be able to control the future of this world, you need to have pieces that are able to move about and cause an effect. I cannot be everywhere at any time and there are things that I cannot do as Uzumaki Naruto… someone must do them for me." the blond looked at Sai and nodded.

"We have managed to spread our web all over the Great Villages, excluding Konoha and Sunagakure. The Cloud and Earth are both dangerous and cannot be moved by mere words. The Raikage is an understanding man, but he seems to respect strength more than anything and he gets emotional. Still, the Lightning is very strong… The Sandaime Tsuchikage is old, but not stupid. I assume his grandchild, will be the next Kage…"

Naruto nodded, "I must court her then," He said. "I can leave Kumogakure alone for now and look at the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. It might be difficult though, but I will try something. If she is touchable, I wouldn't mind getting the Tsuchikage to get an early retirement and a meeting with other dead Kages," he paused, "That would leave Kiri…"

"It is recovering from a civil war, but the Mizukage is someone we don't know much about other than that she is a dual blood-line holder…" Sai said.

"I have two appointments then," Naruto said. "You will accompany me to one meeting, choose…"the blond said to Sasuke.

"I'm curious," Sasuke started. "You have nothing to offer to Kiri, but I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to get the woman to like you. But if she is another shark, it would be difficult. What I am most interested in is how you will deal with the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. Iwa is notorious for its hatred towards your father, and I don't think she would be willing to listen to anything you say… how are you going to deal with it?"

"I guess you will join me when Kurotsuchi leaves Iwa," Naruto said. "I'm thinking about moving Sai back to Konoha. It will be difficult to explain it to Tsunade and if I manage to explain it to her with troubles, I will have a cloud of suspicion on me."

"Why risk that much?" Sasuke asked. "I know you wouldn't have a problem with the suspicions, but as you have said, things will move much better if we don't have the eyes of the Godaime and her Anbu all over us… if you get suspected of anything, I'm also included in it."

"I know," Naruto said. "But I want to have all cards close just in case Jiraiya sniffs this out. I don't underestimate his intelligence. Maybe it would be best if I let him know and 'beg' him to keep it from Tsunade. If this gets discovered I have him to cover up for me…"

"What makes you think he would do something like that?"

Naruto shrugged, "I think that will be the safest bet…" he turned to Sai. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," Sai shook his head. "But if you want us to look for him, we can."

"No, its fine," Naruto said. "You must prepare yourself though. If things go well with Jiraiya, I might have to move you to Konoha…" the blond paused as he stood up. "You know this place… it is like a safe house in case we have to run away from something or someone. I wanted you to see it… we can head back to Konoha."

Sasuke nodded and stood up. He figured Naruto had rested enough and even if he had not, the blond wouldn't want to stay the hideout without any reason. He would rather go back to Konoha where his mother was waiting for him.

They were going to get to Konoha by night. but it was alright, they would get to start a new day at Konoha afresh. "What else did you find from Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked as hopped through the trees with Naruto by his side.

"A potential new piece," Naruto said calmly. "You will know her soon enough. I have a feeling that it won't be long before we get to meet her. Things don't appear to be going according to plan and despite how obsessed she is with her master, she has other feelings that may sway to change tunes… when that happens, I will be waiting."

"Just be careful," Sasuke said. "You keep taking in 'pieces' if you're not careful, one of these pieces might betray you or you might just fail to control them…"

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a surprised look on his face.

"It is insulting when you give me that kind of a look because I just gave you a warning," Sasuke said.

"You just surprised me. I was not expecting such words to come out of your mouth," Naruto said. "But you were heard."

 **The Following Morning**

 **Naruto's House**

Yugao stood by the entrance of the kitchen, staring at Naruto – who was sitting at the kitchen table along with his mother. She hadn't heard him when he returned, but she wasn't surprised. He was Uzumaki Naruto after all. If his mother sensed him, it must have been just motherly instincts, nothing less and nothing more.

The former Anbu agent walked towards the table and settled down with mother and son on either side of her. she turned to Kushina with a smile, "Morning, Kushina," she greeted.

Kushina smiled, but she didn't give an immediate response; she was checking out Yugao's clothing and her appearance in general; the woman looked messy and her 'night' clothes were 'inappropriate' with Naruto present. It was okay when she it was just the two of them, but not when her son was seeing it.

"Morning to you too, Yugao," Kushina said with a smile. "Are you sure you should still be dressing like that? It is a bit revealing and despite everything, Naruto is still a male…"

Yugao looked down for a moment to see what she was wearing – it wasn't that she had forgotten, it was just out of habit or something like that. After a few moments of thinking, she shrugged. "I wasn't thinking that Naruto would be here… besides, Naruto isn't the type to get any funny thoughts. Unlike some perverts, Naruto is a decent person, right?"

Naruto's eyes stared with Yugao's for a moment before he looked away. The woman was challenging him for some game he didn't know and was not going to play. However, he knew that his mother would draw a meaning to his response. His mother wanted him to behave like a teenage kid, even though it was impossible, she still expected him to show interest in woman. If so, then she could have a hope of having grandchildren.

"That may be true, but it doesn't mean that I am blind," Naruto said calmly. "But I can ignore it."

Yes, he could certainly do that. If a naked woman just walked in here, he could handle himself. He could control himself from behaving out of character even though it would be understandable given what he would be seeing. Naruto was a lot more controlled and his experiences with Mikoto were helping him control emotions a lot better.

In that sort of situatiom, he would probably hurry to get some clothes to get the lady dressed. He was a person of manners after all.

Kushina smiled, slightly amused by Naruto's response. "You're not blind, huh? If I wasn't slightly embarrassed, I would have asked what you were seeing, and in detail as well…" the redhead Uzumaki said.

When Naruto's eyes turned to her with that gaze that made her feel as if she was naked, Yugao stared, "It makes me uncomfortable if you stare like that," the purple haired said.

Naruto shrugged, "I was curious," he said, but didn't explain anything; his focus went back to his mother as he addressed her on a different matter. "I have some good news, mother," he said with a smile, a small smile but a smile nonetheless.

"What?"

"I was able to confirm the existence of an Uzumaki," Naruto responded. "She has been living in Orochimaru's hideouts. It is possible the snake Sannin collected her because there was something special with her… he does like to be surrounded by people with special abilities. You can have no fears of her being a test subject, and she isn't actively a kunoichi."

Of course, he added that because if he had stopped with just saying that she wasn't a test subject, it would have left the door open for the idea that she could be working with the snake Sannin in conducting experiments. That would just mean she was one of Orochimaru's lackeys and was doing immoral things. his mother would not have been pleased with that thought.

Kushina beamed up, "That is great news, Naruto," she said happily. "Our dream doesn't seem to be fading now. This gives hope that we will be able to revive our clan."

Naruto nodded; it was a matter of reviving the hope. They could not continue hoping for something when nothing tangible motivated them. This also gave the hope that there could be another Uzumaki somewhere and if true, he would try to find them and sell them the dream to revive the Uzumaki clan.

"If she is with Orochimaru, do you think that he will simply allow her to leave?" Yugao asked, trying to reign down on the excitement.

"I don't think your thoughts are necessary, Yugao," Naruto said calmly. He knew what she was trying to do, and he did not appreciate it. "But to answer your question; Orochimaru won't obviously give her away like that, but if you want something you must fight for it. In this case, it might not necessarily involve fighting Orochimaru…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"She isn't always with Orochimaru," Naruto said. If she wasn't always with the snake, then he could strike when she was far away from him. There could be still some obstacles, but none dangerous as Orochimaru. "I can plan around that."

"Are you going to give her a choice?" Kushina asked. she got the feeling that Naruto would just snatch the girl away from Orochimaru and bring her here. She didn't want things to be like that. It would just be wrong. If someone was going to join their family, it would have to be by choice not by force.

"Of course mother," Naruto said. "What makes you ask something like that? It would be unthinkable for me to bring someone close to us who doesn't want to. It would be dangerous as we don't know what that person might do to any of us our sleep…"

That was something he had thought, but Karin wasn't necessary going to be given a choice. He had not thought of doing something like that but he had thought of what might happen if he didn't give her the choice. But just to be on the safe side, she wouldn't be allowed to live in this house – the Senju compound was available.

"I think I understand where your mother is coming from," Yugao said before Kushina could respond to Naruto's question. "There is a chance that she is with Orochimaru by choice…"

"Have you considered that?" Kushina added with a question.

"Yes," Naruto's tone was flat. "It would be unpleasant if she is with the snake by choice. There would have to be some damage control if not, I don't think such a person would be safe to live with, even though they are one of us. It isn't just blood that defines a person's worth and importance, but character. Yugao isn't related by blood, she is family – that was brought by her personality.

But of course I wouldn't just cast aside someone from our clan due to the shortage. There would have to be rehabilitation programme. If it fails, we will have to reconsider," Naruto reasoned calmly. "How was your time in my absence, mother? I hope the Godaime didn't take it as an opportunity to interrogate you for information about me…" the blond asked with a small smile.

"I wouldn't sell out my own son even if he was out doing something naughty," Kushina said with a smile.

"You know I don't do naughty things, mother," Naruto said. "I am a well behaved child and listens to his mother…"

Kushina laughed, so did Yugao. "You know, that isn't wrong at all," the former said with a smile. "You behave well and do listen to me. I'm so blessed to have a son who listens to me," the woman added.

 **A few minutes later**

Once again, Yugao caught herself closing the door behind her as she entered Naruto's study. She was doing it a lot more often these days because she didn't want Kushina to hear what she was saying with the blond. Besides, there were things that happened in here and she didn't want Kushina to witness it if it happened again. Yugao shook her head, what was she thinking?

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you have become my shadow," Naruto said without looking at Yugao. "You keep following me whenever I'm in this house. Are you going to follow me when I visit the small room as well?"

"Small room?"

"Toilet," Naruto said.

"No," Yugao said. "Maybe when you want to take a shower, I might be tempted to follow, or better yet, when you sneak out to Mikoto's bed in the middle night. I bet I would see some interesting things," she was just teasing the blond.

"Well, it wouldn't be anything you've yet to see," Naruto said with indifference. "And nothing you haven't done. The reason the Sandaime pushed you towards me was because you were having an emotional breakdown with the loss of someone important to you… that person you were sleeping with…"

"Please don't say it like that," Yugao was quick to say. "You make it seem as if it was nothing but just the lust. But what Hayate and I had was love. Maybe you don't understand it, but I do hope that one day you get to experience it… and I don't mean the love you have your mother. I'm talking about romantic love."

Naruto was silent for a few moments before asking, "Do you wish to help me experience it, Yugao?"

"Huh?"

"What brought you here?" Naruto changed the subject because really, he wasn't interested in having that kind of a conversation with the woman. Something like that could come later; he was trying to solve some important matters now.

Yugao blinked before shaking her head. "Anko," she started. "You've had contact with Kurenai and now it is Anko… what do you want from her? I know it has nothing to do with friendship. You don't make friends Naruto, you attract things and people that you can use."

The blond Uzumaki raised an eyebrow at the blunt accusation. It wasn't completely false, was it? "I believe I was forthcoming with Anko… if you think I have something hidden, you can try to discover it yourself, I won't help you, and I won't entertain that subject ever again. I told Anko what I needed and that was it…"

"Anko is my friend, Naruto… I just don't want her getting hurt…"

"You really don't know your value, and that is slightly sad," Naruto said with a shake of his head.

 **Senju Compound**

"Neh Naruto," Mikoto started in a quiet tone. They were lying atop of the rooftop, hidden by genjutsu. The sun was hitting just right, with a slightly cold breeze washing over the atmosphere. "What do you think about me? Personally… what would you call what we are doing if you were asked to name it…"

It was one of those tricky questions that women asked. Naruto was learning a few things, and really he had hoped that Mikoto would not ask him the kind of question, not now anyway. He had been struggling with his emotions regarding her. it was a difficult subject to touch on given that he hadn't gone all the way to care for people during those younger days, even now it was still the same.

The only difference now was that there were people he was close too, a couple of them, but he still did not go all out to care just for anyone. Maybe it wasn't the same. Yes, things had changed, he hadn't bothered caring for anyone back then. Humans were just despicable creatures that had done nothing but made his life miserable.

Yet, Mikoto had acknowledged him, she had called him her hero. The woman had given him an experience that he could not quite forget – It was unique and something that no one else could give him. He had learned to care for her since then. She was an important person, someone he could not discard; she wasn't a piece in in his magical box of tricks.

If anything, the woman had been the one to use him to satisfy her physical needs. Well, he was learning something from it and really, the experience got him to know much more about Mikoto. He might not be able to connect that well because he had his own problems with emotions, but really she was an important person.

"I wouldn't know what to call it if I was asked," Naruto went with the truth. "I mean, I am the person who cannot really understand all that it has to do with emotions. If I say I understand everything about them, I would be lying, but because I have had much time ignoring them, dealing with them makes it difficult for me, even trying to comprehend them.

"But what I do know is that you're an important person to me. The first person I admitted to caring for was Ino… she was a friend. Whatever it is, I feel that you're an important person in my life, someone that I could not afford to lose. There is really no one like you, because you're not a tool I can replace."

Mikoto was silent for a few moments; she was simply content with just listening to her thoughts. At least Naruto had given her a response, and it was more or less, what she had expected of him. Naruto did struggle to deal with emotions after all.

"You called me… I thought it was a booty call," Mikoto said, opting against commenting on what Naruto had said. "What did you want to discuss?"

"I found three women that could be useful and all three have different personalities. The manipulation game does yield great results but I wish to play the gentleman this time around with these women. I want you to teach me how to approach a woman," Naruto said. "

"Three more?" Mikoto said with raised brow. "Are you trying to create a harem of your own, Naruto? Kushina won't be pleased if she learns something like that…"

"Harem? I have no plans on creating something like that." Naruto was quick to say.

Mikoto smiled, "I know," she said. "But I am a little jealous; nevertheless, I don't think I can teach you that easily. What if I teach you and then you start liking them… leaving me…"

"You underestimate your worth," Naruto said to Mikoto. "What I want from you is how to be 'human'. I know some drills, but I'm willing to acknowledge that my appearance sometimes doesn't appear 'humane' and it puts some people on guard."

"First tell me the names of these people, why you want to get to them and maybe I will agree to it…"

 **End chapter**

 **Honestly, it was difficult to draw this one out. I thought I was never going to finish it because the motivation and the words were not there. Forcing myself to write wasn't working, but I manage to complete the chapter and I think I wrote everything in the way I wanted. Well, except with the Orochimaru scene… I wanted that to be a fighting scene, but for some reason, I can't get my mojo running.**

 **The last time I had fun writing fighting scenes was with the Sage, since then, I've been struggling. I will try to regain what I have lost because the next chapters have to filled with battles because this is the shinobi world...**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	24. Chapter 24

Naruto was walking along the village streets with Mikoto beside him.

The woman had insisted on walking along with him.

Just because they were doing some private things that they didn't want other people to know didn't mean they couldn't do things as they used to–if they did that, it would just raise suspicions: Mikoto had reasoned.

With his record, Naruto thought some people would find the very idea of him sleeping with Mikoto to be ridiculous, just unbelievable. He showed no interest in women, so really something like that would be the last thing people would think of him. His reasons had not mattered nevertheless.

The Uchiha beside him had stood firm in what she was saying.

"Tsunade wants either of you to work in Anbu." Mikoto suddenly said. "She spoke to me in your absence. I sense the reason is that she wants to break you two apart. She is suspicious of your relationship and assumes you're plotting something. With the way she was speaking, it appeared as if she had gotten her hands on a detailed report about you."

"Well something like that would set off alarms in anyone's head." Naruto said. "But the only person who knew me in detail was the Sandaime Hokage. I wouldn't put it past the old man to have gathered intelligence about me…"

Still, allowing something like that to exist was just dangerous. The Sandaime would have been frank in his assessment on just what he was capable of doing, and he was certain that people like Shikaku wouldn't say anything that would make him appear bad. He had an understanding with the man.

However, if Tsunade knows what the Sandaime Hokage feared about him, then it would change the game.

Just when he thought that things would be okay within the Leaf, this has to happen. He would have to thank Mikoto for telling him this. He trusted her instinct. She was a former Jonin and he doubted her prowess as a Kunoichi have dulled due to the years of playing the role of a humble wife to Fugaku.

"You should be worried if she has something like that." Mikoto said in a firm tone. "I'm very much concerned about how something like that would impact Sasuke. I know anything with regards to Sasuke would not last if it is a case of abandoning the Leaf. His everything is here. It is a different story with you. Tell me, how far did you play your games with the Sandaime?"

"We didn't hold back." Naruto responded in a flat tone.

He still didn't like the fact that he was never able to land a blow on the old man. He was always on the losing side of their games and it had been a source of frustrations, but it did motivate him as well.

"The old man knew what I could do, he knew how I would react to different situations, you could say he could read my reactions. I think that was due to the fact that my thinking was narrow…"

"You were only focused on your mother and the Sandaime knew that all too well…" Mikoto shook her head. "Well, he was the professor."

"A man of many tricks and talents. Well, since he favoured Orochimaru out of his students, you can see where the snake gets some of his instincts…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "What did you say about her thoughts?" the blond asked, going back to the matter the woman had brought up.

"I didn't give her my answer or my thoughts regarding the matter." Mikoto said. "She is the Godaime Hokage, and Sasuke is her subordinate. I have no say in how she uses him."

Naruto was amused by that response from Mikoto. She might have said that and that was the reality, but those were just words. perhaps she was telling the woman to do what she thought was right as the Godaime Hokage.

"I doubt she had called you to talk about that." the blond said, his right eye narrowed toward Mikoto for a second.

"We had other business we were trying to solve." Mikoto responded. She didn't go into detail about it and Naruto didn't ask.

If he were to be honest, it bothered him slightly that she chose to keep what they were discussing.

"Anbu isn't so bad," Naruto said. "I wouldn't go back though. The work is too much due to the low numbers and I dislike the rule that operates there. Well, it wouldn't be so bad giving Tsunade the perception that one is an obedient shinobi. For me it would be a rather difficult sale to market. My 'love' for Konoha is rather notorious."

Mikoto laughed. "You have yourself to blame for that. You were just too open in your 'love' for Konoha. You didn't make it a secret that your mother came first in everything. Of course that record isn't going to leave you and convincing them otherwise will be close to impossible for you at this point."

"Naïve mistakes of a child." Naruto said in a flat tone. "Well, I have learned and I don't necessarily need them to trust me. If they trust Sasuke, I have no complaints. We just need to have a frank relationship and things can work well. We should be able to find the middle ground and balance things out in ways that we don't displease each other."

"Is that how you dealt with the Sandaime?" Mikoto asked with a smile.

Naruto nodded. "We were honest like that. It helped get things out of the way like suspicions. He didn't have to worry about my agenda because he knew and I didn't have to worry about what the senile old man was plotting behind the grandfatherly tone, smile and innocent eyes."

"Just the manipulation games, huh?" Mikoto fell silent for about a minute. "What kind of games are you playing with Sasuke? You might have slightly changed, but you are still Naruto… You play the high stakes games, I don't want my son to be caught up in things that don't do him any good. If you can't be honest with him, at least tell me as his mother."

Naruto looked up into the clear sky for a moment before responding. "You know my thoughts for Sasuke even if I don't have to tell you."

Mikoto smiled. "What makes you think I know, dear?"

"Because you're not stupid." Naruto said. "Those eyes of yours…I have seen them. You managed to get me to sleep with you, and have gotten me to open up a little with you. Those blind red eyes you don't like showing to the world are not blind."

"How do you know I have my Sharingan activated?"

"I can feel it." Naruto said calmly. "You have not objected to anything though. Well, it does more good to the Uchiha than to me. I think Fugaku would rejoice in his death when it does become a reality."

"All of them should." Mikoto said. "Do you think you can make it happen?"

Naruto nodded. "I have yet to pull any strings in the political world, but I will soon. I still have a showdown with Hiashi with regards to his daughter. I will have my way when that does happen. If he was a simple man, I wouldn't mind pulling the strings, but I know those influencing him."

He would act on them soon.

He could not allow them to dictate things.

They had been annoyances for far too long and it was time for them to get their retirement benefits. The Sandaime was no longer alive and Danzo was dead. They were no longer needed in the Leaf.

They were just trying to live their past glories but such dreams had to be killed.

If he simply allowed them to try to paddle with his plans, they might prove to be an obstacle in the near future. It was best that he extinguishes the fire before it burns too brightly. Perhaps he should have allowed the Root shinobi to kill them or maybe Sasuke when he was still pissed off over the fact that they had a hand in Itachi's mission.

"What are you planning to do with Hiashi, Naruto?" Mikoto asked in a curious tone.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I have no plans with him. I just need to clear the air with him. You should know that he doesn't like me. He's your fellow clan head after all." the blond said.

"We don't get along either." Mikoto said. "You know the rivalry between the Hyuga and the Uchiha. Besides, the man has too much pride that it bothers me. He was a fair person though. Perhaps something happened."

Naruto shook his head. "People just lose their heads along the way. You need to be strong in this world to maintain your true self. There are many things that try to dilute us, so many that try to change us, but those strong enough to withstand the storm remain true to themselves."

Mikoto smiled.

"Wise words from a Mother's White Knight." the woman said.

"That reminds me of Ino." Naruto said with a small smile. Maybe he should visit her soon. "Back in the days when we were still close, she used to call me her Black Knight. I assume because of my personality…"

The blond Uzumaki shook his head.

"I'm surprised that you're asking though." Once again, he went back to the matter that started the conversation.

"Would you rather I act blind to everything?" Mikoto asked with a raised brow. "I think that would be too dull for you. Besides, I've played the role of the yes woman for far too long. I'm tired of it. It can't do me any good anyway."

"I would imagine so." Naruto said with a nod. "You're a clan head. If you cannot stand up for yourself and your clan, you won't amount to much and everyone will play ball with the Uchiha. You seem to be doing a rather good job so far though. The Council not giving you much troubles?"

"They try, but you must be willing to stand your ground." Mikoto said.

"That is something that your mother knows best to do. It is a little different when it comes to you though. Both you and I know that she is very much aware that she is the centre of your life and she can control you, but she doesn't because she loves her son dearly. She wants you to live your life the way you want. I wish the same for Sasuke, thus I cannot make decisions for him, but that doesn't mean that I stop looking out for him. Before anything, I am a mother to Sasuke and everything else follows."

Naruto was silent for a few moments. He was always first to his mother; he could not be surprised that Mikoto had the same feeling. Well, maybe some mothers were not so different in their love for their children.

"Speaking of my mother, when was the last time you got together with her?"

Mikoto blinked once before responding. "It is difficult facing her when I know that I'm sleeping with her dear son. She would really be pissed off if she found out that I took your innocence away. Maybe I'm drifting away because I think that day will come."

"It doesn't bother me…" Naruto said.

"That is because you're Naruto," Mikoto said in a firm tone. "You deal with emotions differently and the emotions that bother us don't make sense to your nor do you even give yourself time to stress about them. You don't worry about friendship because that is something that means little to you. We normal people value things like that… because we believe they are important in life."

"I'm getting too many accusations about that part." Naruto said. "Yugao was saying that I don't make friends, but I gather pieces for my purposes and Sasuke said something as well. I don't find any problems with that… but wouldn't you say we have become friends, maybe more than that?"

The Uchiha smiled. "Yes."

"And I have managed to get you to admit that I am an important person to you. Previously, you would have never have admitted that. Well, that would be because no one was important to you than aside from your mother. I think I should give myself a pat on the back for finding a seat in the ride of Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto didn't know whether to be displeased or happy that he was learning more about emotions. For someone to influence him like that was unthinkable, yet this was the reality. No one came into his life without his approval, yet he did not seem to have a choice with Mikoto.

If he was paranoid, he would be thinking that the woman told him that he was her hero because she was plotting something. His young heart had been warmed by those words she had said to him; they had made him happy, and appreciate the woman, and he had put value above her head because of it.

That had been childish.

Mikoto was the first person who gave him a candy and he accepted it with both hands before growing attached to her. Thinking about it, maybe he did want to be appreciated back then. His father had turned him into a sacrifice, Konoha hated him, despised his very existence, and yet for something he did for his own selfish reasons, Mikoto had given him a smile.

To think even he could be so simple…

Yamanaka Flower Shop

It has been some time since he last stepped into the shop. Naruto stopped at the entrance and closed his eyes, just to breathe in the natural atmosphere that was compelled by the flowers that surrounded the shop. Their different kinds of scents, but the mixture wasn't bad, it was refreshing and brought about a sense of peace with how natural it felt.

Nature was a beautiful thing; it was the only thing in this world that he could like, it didn't have the stench of corrupted humans. The delightful thing about it was that it was also dangerous; if humans continue to mess with it–it would strike back and hard. When nature was furious, there was no one who could stop it, no one who could stand in the way.

Perhaps this was the reason extremely powerful shinobi have been called forces of nature.

"Someone's looks like they are in peace." Ino said in a calm tone, standing just in front of Naruto with a small smile on her face and both hands on her hips.

Naruto blinked and looked down at the blonde Yamanaka.

She was staring at him as if she had caught him doing something uncharacteristic of him.

Well, since when did he become so sentimental?

Was he the cold person who showed little to no emotion to the things around him?

Well, things were different when it came to things he was familiar with. How many times had he been forced to smile when he was in this place? Maybe it was all right to express some emotions when he was here–he did have fond memories of the place after all.

"It…" Naruto trailed off as he caught himself from finishing what he wanted to say.

Was he seriously going to say that it was nice to see you again, Ino? And with a smile? What was wrong with him? Somehow it felt wrong to do something like that. there was something screaming that it wasn't Uzumaki Naruto.

But things with Ino have always been different? She had always held some place in his black selfish heart. He wouldn't exaggerate it enough to say a special place, but she was there, has always been. Maybe it was Mikoto's influence that was making him act out.

The woman had a certain way with things, and really, she wasn't as 'submissive' as she would like one to believe.

Were all women like that though?

Maybe not.

"You look well, Ino." Naruto finally said with an expressionless look on his face, but his tone wasn't as flat as he would like.

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Did you just stutter?" the blonde asked, taking a step closer to her fellow blond.

Her face was just inches away from Naruto's, she could feel his calm breath, but that didn't make her fluster a little, even though his eyes were staring deep into hers as if they wanted to pierce through and read her thoughts.

"You must be dreaming." Naruto was quick to say.

"Oh." Ino stepped back slightly. She examined the blond from head to toe, looked into his eyes for a long minute as if he was a curious piece that she wanted to decipher.

"You've been different…You're not like those days, not like when you came back…Something is happening…"

She could tell. She has known him since they were little kids. She knew his expressions, she knew even though he didn't do too much of it these days, he was still a mother's boy as she was daddy's little angel.

It would be unthinkable to say that Naruto was in love.

She would need a certain amount of time to try to process that just so it could sink in…And that wasn't to say that she would understand it then. No, the process would be that just so she could confirm it without a shed of doubt that she had heard or realized correctly.

Even despite those thoughts, Ino smiled, a bit slyly. "Is there someone in your life? Stiff people can only be changed when there is a special someone in their hearts…" the Yamanaka said in a suggestive tone.

Naruto knew what she was suggesting. Maybe before Mikoto forced him to experience the beauty of being human and understanding things, he would not have understood it.

Even so, the blond responded as if he was as dense as one could be.

"What do you mean by that? I do have my mother, she is that someone special in my heart…" the blond said in a firm tone, and an expressionless mask.

Ino blinked as if she had been caught off-guard by that response. Maybe if she wasn't supporting herself well, she may have even fell on her butt. "You said that on purpose," she accused the blond with a look on her face before shaking her head. "You know, if you continue saying things like that, one will assume you have an 'unnatural' relationship with your mother."

She has been single since her husband died, and doesn't appear to be looking for any one. She was still a beautiful woman and as her mother has said, she was a lot calmer compared to the days of the old, perhaps it came with the responsibility of being a mother, not just any mother but the mother of Uzumaki Naruto – that has got to be the most difficult job in the whole of Konoha.

For a second, a look of disgust flashed across Naruto's eyes.

It was in an instance, but Ino's perceptive gaze saw it all.

"Don't suggest something like that…" wasn't it somehow hypocritical that he would dislike the thought when he was doing the deeds with Sasuke's mother? And if Sasuke thought of revenge on him with his mother he would murder him in broad daylight, in the streets of Konoha when everyone was watching and he would not give shit about what anyone would say.

Uzumaki Kushina was a precious jewel that would not be violated by anyone.

"Well, it is good that you have morals." Ino said. She then sighed, taking a slightly serious look on her face. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but for what reason did you come here, Naruto? Your mother isn't here, in case you came for her…"

She looked at him expectantly.

"I was bored and thought I'd visit you." the blond Uzumaki said honestly. "If you're not too busy, you can walk me to the training grounds, I wish to see how far you have improved in your training. I've never honoured your request to make you better."

Ino stared for a long minute. "I feel insulted that the only reason you only thought of that was because you were bored." She said in a flat tone before once more again, sighing. "Oh well, this is you." she paused and turned around, showing the Uzumaki her back.

"Mom! I'm going out with Naruto!" Ino shouted rather loudly.

She didn't wait for her mother to respond, she turned to face Naruto and spoke. "Come on, let us go…" she said holding out her right hand.

"We are going to take a walk." Naruto said as he turned around to face the exit. "You will tell me what you have learned so far and then when we get to the training ground, you will charge at me…"

"Can't you be a normal boy for a moment?" Ino asked a bit hopelessly. "It is just the two of us, you can talk about anything, and all you want to hear about is my training?"

Naruto glanced towards the blonde on his left hand for a moment before he offered a response. "What do you want me to say, Ino?"

She shrugged. "I don't know? Flirt? Talk about naughty things, love…"

"You have to admit that there are things I won't talk about," Naruto pointed out.

Training Ground 7

This training ground held a lot of memories.

He had overseen Team 7, he trained both Sasuke and Hinata.

The latter had received the most attention when in the training ground, but that was because she needed it the most. He had groomed her rather well. He needed to see her fight at her level best to say he had done a good job once again.

The Uzumaki looked at Ino before asking, "How strong has Hinata become? I know she has grown, but I'm curious to know how far…"

"Really?" Ino stared. "I thought you wanted to see my efforts and now you're asking me about your favoured Hinata?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. The question was just something that popped and since Ino was a person of gossip or to colour it, you could say Intelligence, he thought she would have a good idea on how to go about it.

The blond shook his head. "Never mind. Nevertheless, seeing how far you have come. I just realized something that will suit you best."

"What?"

"I have always valued how keen and perceptive you are. Maybe you get that from your father, but getting things is a skill you possess naturally – I mean with regards to information. If you allow me, I can make you the best kunoichi when it comes gathering Intel. Either being a spy or working at the Torture and Interrogation Division, I can help you become the best there is."

The blond paused as he walked closer to the Yamanaka. He stopped just inches away from her, staring deep into her eyes. "I don't think I've ever said this, but you truly are beautiful and I think out of our age group, you're the one who has developed in all areas."

"Then, if you think so, why don't you make a move?" Ino dared him.

"You're a good friend of mine, I wouldn't want you to get hurt because I will always be Naruto no matter what. Today, I can for you and tomorrow, I'll be looking at something else different."

"So, do you think I'd be hurt by that? Do you think I expect to get married to you and have a bunch of kids? I know you, Naruto. I have known you since we were little kids. I treasure those moments I had to use blackmail just to get you to help from bullies," Ino said in a quiet, yet emotional tone. She was doing all she could so that she couldn't lose her cool.

"You steer a conversation like that. To be the best when it comes to gathering information, you must be able to steer the conversation. Being able to steer a conversation helps you evade difficult questions or lead others into difficult questions. You speak what you want to speak, and answer what you want to answer."

Ino stopped herself from slapping the blond.

She glared for a moment before responding. "Like how you just shifted back as if I wasn't serious?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not like that…" He said. "You see, my response left you bitter. If I wanted information from you, I would no longer get it because you're not happy. But that depends on people, some people become 'loose' when they are in a foul mood."

"And what of me?"

"It is hard to tell, but I know you'd never hate me. I don't really understand it clearly, but it appears you were pouring your feelings and I just shrugged it off and said something else as if I didn't hear it. Worse, I led you to that subject," Naruto said, his tone blank of any emotion.

"What makes it worse is that you did it even though you're aware of it. nothing hurts more than an intentional pain caused by someone you consider a friend." Ino said.

Naruto was silent for a few moments, wondering how the conversation got like this. This wasn't something that he wanted to discuss with Ino, and he had done well in the past weeks to avoid it. he was put in a position where he could not avoid it forever. Maybe he should have just stayed away altogether.

The blond sighed. "In this situation, I'm left without anything to say. It just reminds me of that night we had a reunion with the others. I've kept you away because I value you as a friend. You were my first friend, and I really don't want anything to happen to that. I have few connections in this world, and truly, they are what makes me feel alive…"

"I feel like this is the first time you've ever opened up to me." Ino said with a small smile.

"Maybe." Naruto said.

"As I was saying." His tone started a bit high, just to force the issue a bit. "What do you say to my proposal? I did agree to training you and this is the only way I think I can make you great. You must have realized already that you're not suited for the heavy hitting."

Ino looked up for a moment before responding. "Well, I had considered following my father's footsteps…My family techniques make it easy for me for interrogation…"

"True." Naruto started in a thoughtful tone. "Jiraiya is Konoha's main source of Intel. That division your father works in also deals with Intelligence but they are not heavily equipped to collect Intelligence from the outside. Anbu has its own division as well, but as far as I know, there is no division, made specifically for gathering Intel. What if I managed to convince Tsunade to create one, would you be interested in heading it?"

Ino blinked; she was honestly surprised that he would suggest something like that.

What did he think of her?

She didn't know anything about gathering Intel, and she wasn't a spy. She knew how to get information out of people, but spying was a different matter.

"You're not saying no." Naruto said. "That is fine; prepare yourself because we are in for a ride and a dangerous journey…"

He suddenly grabbed the Yamanaka by her throat and lifted her up. he wasn't gentle in anyway. Ino was struggling to breathe. "You must be fast, learn to be invisible and your instincts must be sharp. You cannot allow yourself to get caught by something like this or else you will lose your life. It takes one crucial slip for your life to vanish."

The blond Uzumaki allowed Ino to slip through, the girl fell to the ground on her knees, both hands around her throat. She took in some oxygen for a couple of seconds before looking up at Naruto with a slight glare.

"I don't think you were this rough with Hinata…"

"You're not Hinata…" Naruto said turning away from Ino. He waved his right hand, calling for the Yamanaka to follow him as he took the direction of the forest.

"We are going to start with your reflexes."

Later

Hokage Office

"Do you mind explaining what you were doing in Sound days ago?" Tsunade asked in a hardened tone, her eyes never straying away from the blond sitting in front of her desk.

She had called him as soon as she learned this from Jiraiya, and he hadn't been resistant in coming to see her. well, he has been rather cooperative regardless of what she has learned about him in the past days. As the Sandaime's Kage only report does say, Konoha is Naruto's number one when it comes to safety and he won't do anything to sabotage that, unless Konoha wrongs him…

His mother specifically.

Tsunade wasn't complaining about how the blond was willing to sit down and talk to her like an adult. She preferred it this way, they would not go anywhere if they played the cat and mouse game and it wouldn't do any good to Naruto or her.

If used and treated wisely, the blond could become a great asset for Konoha, there was no doubt about that. The only problem she was failing to solve was the issue of trust. There were many things going on with Naruto and with what she has learned, she had all the good reasons to be worried.

Anyone would be worried.

She wasn't like her former sensei.

The man was a genius when it came to playing games, she was just blunt and didn't like going around the bushes.

Naruto didn't show an outward reaction to the question by the Godaime Hokage. He wasn't expecting her to question him about it before he could speak to Jiraiya.

Well, there was no major problem; he could still work around things without any trouble.

"No; I don't mind." Naruto responded calmly.

Tsunade stared for a long minute waiting for the blond to start talking, but he just stared at her and said nothing. She realized he was waiting for her to say something; he was waiting for her to spell it out, even though he knew she wanted him to tell the reasons.

What he had done was simply answer her question; there was no obligation to go further than that, especially when he had given her a positive response.

"Tell then." Tsunade demanded with impatience.

The impatience in Tsunade's tone was an all familiar story; the woman was the impatient type and that wasn't a good thing at all. She had to learn to be tolerant or else there would be trouble with her leadership. Well, he wasn't the one who was to lecture the woman, she was an experienced Sannin, he liked to believe that it counted for something, if not, it would be a massive disappointment.

She had Jiraiya–the man had plenty of life lessons.

Naruto decided not to answer the Hokage. He could do that later, he wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere, and he could handle the woman's snappy temper. He was controlled, but he had his temper as well. No one has seen him lose it though.

"What do you know about me, Godaime?" Naruto asked in a curious tone, his eyes starring deep into the woman's eyes, waiting to analyse whatever response she would give and every twitch in her body as she does respond.

Tsunade felt those eyes watching her.

She felt as if he was trying to peek into her mind. He wasn't hiding the fact that he was analyzing every inch of her face and was ready to dissect the response she would give him. It was an unnerving feeling that made her uncomfortable for a moment before she decided to just shrug it off, what would it matter?

"I know that you're a manipulating person, who's always plotting something, strong and have no love for Konoha." Tsunade said without a shed of doubt in her tone.

She figured that what she had said summed it all up, but there was one more she could add. Of course, the part of him not being loyal to Konoha was a concern, not just because he was a Jinchuriki, but because he was a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. All shinobi of the Leaf were supposed to be loyal to the village.

It was especially a problem with Naruto's case because he wasn't normal by any means.

The Godaime blinked; had she just drifted off from the subject that had caused her to 'summon' her fellow blond?

Tsunade shook her head.

She hated to admit it, but they were talking about what Naruto wanted to talk about, not what she wanted.

He hadn't answered her question.

She frowned: she hated people like Naruto. At least she had managed to catch him before he could steer too far away. She would play along and pretend as if she had forgotten about it, and should he try to leave without answering her, he would have her stern gaze waiting for him at the end of the tunnel.

"I wouldn't exactly say it like that, but I'm a meticulous planner. I think through things and try to move accordingly to get the results I need. What I have realized in this life is that if you simply sit back, the environment around you will dictate how you live your life."

"I will not deny or confirm that I have no love for Konoha, but what I will confirm is that as long as my relationship with this village's leaders remains amiable, I will be a Konoha shinobi. For my own safety and my mother's happiness, it is necessary that I stay here. Not only that, but we are thinking of restoring the clan, to do that, we need a secure environment, and regardless of what anyone says, Konoha is the strongest.

However, it doesn't mean that it is immune to attacks. As a meticulous planner, I try to manage what would attack Konoha and stop it if possible. I must know what threatens Konoha, and when knowing, I must deal with those threats, because if Konoha is threatened, my peace is threatened." the blond paused as he tilted his head to the side,

"Do you understand what I am trying to say?" He asked in a deliberately slow tone.

Tsunade glared. "Don't mock me!" she barked.

"But I do understand what you're saying and what you have not said."

In other words, he was saying that if there were threats to Konoha, he would try to deal with it, and with how he was speaking, on his own. Konoha was his security. He didn't stay here because he loved the village, he was here because it was secure but the moment it stopped being secure, he wouldn't hesitate to disappear.

At least he was taking steps to ensure that the village was secure. Still, what worried the Godaime Hokage was the fact that she didn't know what steps he was taking, and what he was moving to ensure that he gets the results he needs.

She doubted he would willingly divulge something like that.

"I'm glad you do." Naruto said. "I thought it would be lot easier for you to grasp my response to your question if you understood the story behind it. I'm afraid it might have been a little unbelievable coming from me because of your mistrust."

Tsunade felt something twist inside of her. it was just the way he said that last word. There was no accusation, but just a statement of a fact. Naruto knew that she didn't trust him despite what she said before and he was under no obligation to trust her if she could not trust him.

"I went to the Sound because I'd been informed that Orochimaru was seen…My investigation and hunt for Uzumakis that could still be alive led me to your former teammate. I have learned that he has an Uzumaki living with him, that was my reason for going to the Sound." Naruto said.

"Upon my visit, he did reveal that he had her, but was not going to give her up. I imagine that now I must actively start destroying his hideouts one by one until I find what I want."

He didn't say anything about Sasuke, and Tsunade knew that he had crossed the borders alone, not with the Uchiha.

"That would be dangerous." Tsunade said. "But you don't really fear, Orochimaru, do you?"

Naruto didn't respond.

"You don't like him, do you?" She asked another question.

"No; I find his existence intolerable and offensive." Naruto responded calmly, with no amount of emotion in his tone. "I'm sure it may have crossed your mind, but not everyone in Root was killed when Danzo met death. I have someone named Sai. For over the past two years, he has been gathering information for me, about Orochimaru, threats to Konoha, and to me. What is most concerning is the threat posed by the Akatsuki. This doesn't have much to do with Konoha, but to my person. This is the reason I have preferred to handle things on my own."

"Why are you telling me now?"

"Because I prefer if you didn't second guess me. You will lose it trying to figure out where I have gone and what I am doing. This makes things easier for you." Naruto stated.

The Akatsuki was a serious problem.

True they were after what he held, but it would be stupid to say that it didn't concern Konoha. They still had no idea why the organization was even attempting to do with the Bijuu. There was the acceptance that it wasn't anything good and Konoha would try to do anything possible to ensure that the organization does not succeed in its attempts to get the Bijuu.

Tsunade leaned back to her chair; she was feeling light as if a heavy weight has been lifted off her shoulders. Perhaps it was because she was having a conversation with Naruto she thought she would never have. He was telling his intentions, and at least she was now able to get a picture of where his thinking went.

"What have you found about the Akatsuki?"

"I would rather Sai tell you himself." Naruto responded calmly. "It is nothing concrete, but it is something that I doubt Jiraiya even knows…" the blond paused before shifting the subject. "I'm telling you this; I'm planning on creating an Intel agency for the collection of Intel and for counter Intelligence as well. I'd rather you not think I'm plotting something sinister. The reasons for this should be clear."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "If it is in the village, you can't tell me, because you have no authority to do something like that. I could get you charged for doing something like that behind my back…"

Naruto waved his right hand. "I'd be out of the village before you can even say 'a'." the blond said with shrug of his shoulders. "For Konoha to be secure; for it to be proactive, it needs be active when it comes to intelligence. You cannot always rely on Jiraiya. Your generation will expire and the new generation will be left clueless. To avoid such a disaster, I want to train people who will take over."

Tsunade stared; this was going to happen, but she figured there was a reason Naruto was telling her. He could have done this behind her back. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because I don't want trouble with you and I have already selected two candidates for the Agency." Naruto said with a sigh. "Of course, as the Hokage, nothing will be hidden from you. There still needs to be training and once the Uchiha get over their troubles, Military Police will be up and running. That means in terms of internal security, the village will function while being aware of what it is happening outside its borders."

"I will think about." Tsunade said. "There might be no need for the Council to know should I agree to it. There are things that they don't need to know…"

"Excellent." Naruto said with a smile.

"You will meet Sai soon and he will give you a full detailed report of what he has discovered about the Akatsuki so far. I hope then, we will be able to form a good working relationship."

The blond Uzumaki stood up before disappearing into thin air.

"Well, that was rather interesting." Jiraiya suddenly said as he appeared by the window. "I have always suspected that everyone wasn't killed. For someone like Naruto, he would have realized that it would be waste to do something like that when he could use them for his own purposes."

"It was indeed interesting." Tsunade said. "I'll have to speak to Kushina again about her son."

Jiraiya looked at the woman for a moment before looking outside the village. She had said 'again' so she has spoken to Kushina before. "What do you wish to talk about with her, if it regards to Naruto? You must also have to be careful with what you ask and you suggest because Kushina is very protective of her son."

If Naruto was willing to do anything to make Kushina safe, then she was willing to do just as much, albeit recklessly, but she would stand by her decision. They used to have a saying, it was them against the world, then against Konoha and everyone else who went against them.

Kushina might be willing to play the humble mother when things were good, but if anyone pressured her son, they would see the bad side of her. He knew of many accounts from his sensei that Naruto had to hold his mother back from ripping apart some villagers who had insulted him in front of her.

Things might have slightly changed, but if she was willing to go that far then, what about now? Not to mention that she had refused anyone to get close to Naruto, even when the pressure had come from Danzo and his delightful partners in crime.

"I know that." Tsunade said. "She made it abundantly clear in our talk last time out, though she was rather calm about it. I did sense that if I crossed a line, she wouldn't be happy with me..."

This was a serious matter that needed a clear head. "At least now we know what we are dealing with."

Jiraiya nodded. "But Naruto has always admitted that he was simple if you take all things into all accounts. You just have to know what he values the most and that makes him a little predictable…"

"I can see that now and I understand why sensei never really did worry despite actually getting people to 'spy' on him. The problem is what he doesn't say and all the scheming…"

"Yes, but when you look at it; Naruto won't do anything that would endanger his mother, he won't do anything ridiculous as plotting to 'control' as he knows that his mother would never be happy living under those conditions. What matters the most to him is his mother's happiness. Although this thing he wants to create isn't specifically done for Konoha's sake, it does benefit Konoha."

"You can be sure that if he learns of a threat to harm Konoha–putting his mother in danger, Naruto will do something about it. There will be plotting, but he will not do anything that will endanger Konoha. I won't rule out that if he does see that it is a battle that cannot be won, he would rather abandon the village than fight with the enemy. That is something that sensei understood all too well…" the Sannin said before adding. "I think he did the plotting to the excessive because he might have enjoyed it–there was no harm being done."

"This does nothing but increase my paperwork." Tsunade said with a groan as she could literally see a mountain of paperwork on her table. "But if we are doing this, you have to be involved in every way. I know there are some things I will not be told, but you have the skills, and if Naruto wants to create a spy agency, you will have oversight over it and certain Anbu will be allowed to see his reports whenever I give the order."

It would make hiding something extremely difficult and would ensure that the agency does work for the benefit of Konoha. Should she find that the Intelligence they work on is useless, she would have it disbanded. Tsunade nodded to herself, under this condition, she would create this agency. No, Naruto would create it.

Officially, it would not exist, and a couple of Anbu who are privy to some secrets will know about it.

"I'd think Naruto would expect you to have conditions like that." Jiraiya said. "But if he did think about it, he would've realized that hiding things would be extremely difficult and chose to do it in secret if this wasn't thought for the benefit of Konoha…"

They were still dealing with the kind of person who played pool with the Sandaime Hokage. Jiraiya didn't think lightly of that.

There was still much more that Naruto could do that they didn't even know.

Naruto's House

Later that day

If it was during day and Naruto wasn't with his mother, then he was in the study looking at papers–this was something that Yugao has noticed of the blond when present in the house.

There was never a day that he did not make a visit in the study and even till this day, she doesn't really know what sort of matters he handled.

She doubted even his mother knew. Naruto didn't always tell his mother everything.

He kept some things to himself; his mother was not told things that he believed would displease her. Of course, Kushina knew her son was always working up things, but she didn't appear to lose sleep over it. Yugao would not even be exaggerating if she said the woman was nonchalant about.

The former Anbu shook off her thoughts before sitting down on the chair in front of the table. Naruto was still pretending to be ignorant of her presence, as always when she appears and keeps silence.

"What are you working on?"

"Things." Naruto said in a quiet tone. "You have never been interested in learning my business, what makes you curious? Is it because the Hokage is asking questions?"

Yugao blinked. She had spoken to Tsunade but that isn't something she has told anyone, not even Kushina even though the woman has said that the Godaime was asking questions about Naruto.

"How do you know that Tsunade is asking me questions?"

Naruto's eyes glanced at the purple haired former Anbu for a second before he went back to the paper in front of him. "I never said that."

Once more again, Yugao blinked, a little surprised but she knew what he meant. "I said Tsunade was asking questions. There isn't anything in my question that suggested that I was referring to you."

Yugao glared at the blond for tricking her. Sometimes she forgot that she was living with a master manipulator. Perhaps it was because he hasn't been using his tongue to fool her that she has always left herself open.

"Any normal person would think you're talking about them…" The woman reasoned, even though she wasn't asked for reasons. There wasn't anything in Naruto's tone that suggested that he was accusing her of anything, yet she felt she had to give a reason for her response.

"A normal person wouldn't think much of my question because if Tsunade is indeed asking questions about me, even though not directly to you, you'd be curious to know, especially in your case…" Naruto said. "Your response came because she had asked you. You might have chosen to be on the defensive…That would have just raised questions and unnecessary answers. Nevertheless, I was actually trying to see if Tsunade did speak to you."

Yugao stared at the blond for a long minute trying to figure out why he couldn't have just asked her. She would have told him that the woman did speak to her and she had no doubt that Naruto was aware of that. Yet, he had to go around her to get the answer.

She shook her head.

Maybe it was fun for him if he does it that way.

"You still didn't answer my question." Yugao said, shifting away from the matter at hand.

"I did; you just don't like the answer." Naruto said with glance at Yugao. "I made a proposal to Tsunade; I have to work out Suna's abilities as well as my approach to other nations…There are intelligence reports that I must study and issue instructions. I must see out finances for us. You're not working, and I haven't done a mission since my return, what do you think is paying for everything?"

Yugao had never thought of it. she was basically a free loader in the house, but Kushina has not said anything about it. She knew the redhead Uzumaki didn't do anything to earn money as well. She has always assumed that all was well when it came to finances. Kushina has not said nothing about it and Naruto hadn't said they were struggling financially as well.

"Do you want me to return to my previous work?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No, you already have work." The blond said a bit firmly.

She wasn't going to leave his mother's side–he would not permit that.

"There are no problems; I just need to manage things properly so that there are no problems…" The blond paused before asking. "What brought you here?"

There has always been a reason she came to his office. She never just came to say 'hello' there was always something.

"I heard Anko say that you were training your childhood friend today." Yugao said. "I'm interested in knowing for what reason…"

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you're either obsessed with who I contact or you don't like the idea of me befriending other women." Naruto said, his eyes firmly on the papers on the desk.

"Why would I have a problem?"

"Who knows?" Naruto said nonchalantly. "You just ask a lot when I meet other people. It raises questions, but I'm not too interested in knowing… to answer your question, I have a specific reason, and I think I like her company. Well, I have never hated it…"

"Finally taking interest in girls your age?" Yugao asked with a smile. "I'm not sure Mikoto will approve of you replacing her with a younger and much more active girl."

"Who said Mikoto wasn't active?" Naruto asked calmly, his eyes on Yugao as he watched her facial expressions.

The woman didn't offer an immediate response; she first allowed her thoughts to run their course before responding. "I want to say that I didn't hear that but I think I have to say this; you're only saying that because you have never been with someone your age."

"From what I have learned so far and what I have been told; being younger doesn't mean good…But I can see being younger means going miles further than someone older would be able to." the blond Uzumaki said.

Wasn't it something else that he was talking about sex with Yugao without even mentioning the word 'sex'? He hadn't thought such a subject between the two of them would be possible, but they were having it and it was surprising to see that Yugao could still hold herself.

"Between you and Mikoto, there is an age difference. We can consider you young as you're not that old. If Mikoto were to look at you, she would say, 'younger'…"

Yugao shifted uncomfortably, getting a wild feeling on what Naruto might be trying to suggest. Maybe having this kind of conversation with him wasn't such a great idea after all. Naruto had kissed her before just so that he could know how it would feel.

"I was going to suggest you do it with me so that I can see the truth in what you say." Naruto said before turning back to his papers. "Of course, such an idea would not be welcomed, and that would only lead me to one conclusion; it can't happen."

The discomfort she was feeling a few moments ago disappeared within seconds for Yugao, as she now felt slightly insulted–maybe that was a strong word to use.

It felt as if that Naruto wouldn't want to do it with her, maybe because there was something wrong with her–that was an insult to her pride as a woman, and especially a maddening one if it was coming from Naruto.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Naruto glanced up for a moment after hearing the strong tone the woman used. "I get the feeling you don't like my response, but that would be because of clear communication. You heard me, but you did not understand my words."

"I heard you." Yugao forced out the words. "And I understood you clearly."

"If you did, then there wouldn't be a question asking what my statement is supposed to mean, unless you were being rhetorical and I missed that." Naruto responded.

"My response was about your relationship with my mother. I'm already sleeping with Mikoto, if I ended up in bed with you, it would not be good. Well, at least with you there would be no risk of a falling out."

Yugao raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "You do know that if your mother finds out about your relationship with Mikoto she will not be happy. Without even asking, I know it was Mikoto who led you up to it. I wouldn't be surprised if she just jumped on you and told you to just be a good boy and allow her to do what she wants. Your mother would have the same picture. Both of us know that you don't think of women in that way when you look at them regardless of how beautiful they are…Well, unless you're plotting something. On normal cases, you don't have the kind of thoughts most men would have when seeing a woman."

Naruto watched silently as Yugao reasoned.

The fallout between Mikoto and his mother was a possibility, but it wasn't something that he gave himself time to think about. Yugao was indeed spot on; Mikoto did come on him, but that wasn't to say she was the only at fault, he didn't do anything to deny her. To say that he could not would be a blatant lie.

He could have, but he did not, because he wanted her to do what she wanted.

"I'm surprised that even if you're conscious that what you're doing is wrong, you still continue with it…"

"I never said it was wrong." Naruto responded quickly. "It will not be accepted but it isn't wrong. There are many wrong things in this rotten world of shinobi, my actions with Mikoto are not one of them. We are both adults. If she was blackmailing me, then it would be wrong." The blond stated before changing the subject.

"Although I find it puzzling; I am attached to this house and it really does hold some sentimental value. If I truly had the resources, I would just buy the stands around us and build a compound here."

Yugao didn't believe that was the only reason stopping him from doing something like that. "If you really wanted to do that, you could think of something else. Going 'legal' has never been your way of getting what you want."

"I did consider compelling these people to move elsewhere so that I can take their houses, but that would seriously raise a lot of questions and soon it would be discovered that the owners did not move out in their own free will. If I could twist their wills without the whitey Byakugan being able to notice, I would be twisting them tonight and by tomorrow they would be moving."

Yugao stared, even though she knew those things were not above him, she was really surprised that he could still say it with a straight face. "Do you consider what other people feel, Naruto? You just said that you hold this house dear, and don't you think it is the same for other people as well?"

"Likely, but it matters little if I do not care. I don't empathise with the unknown…Well, it wouldn't be fair to do it, and I would be nothing more than a hypocrite who likes pointing the evil of other people when my hands are also bloodied," the blond paused to test his thoughts–there was nothing; he didn't care.

"My mother would be disappointed if she really confronted her thoughts about me. I should do something to ease those worries before they build up at the back of her head."

Naruto wasn't stupid enough to say that his mother thought he was a saint.

She knew there were parts of him that wouldn't make the world feel at ease in his presence. But she refused to entertain those fears because she believed that he could still change, she believed in her son.

She didn't want to think the worst of her son, if she did that, she would kill all the hopes she has of him. That was something he didn't want; hope was fundamental to all humans if he destroyed his mother's, he would never forgive himself.

Yugao didn't comment that he was already a hypocrite with how he handled things.

"What is in the agenda, now?"

"The Akatsuki, Iwa, Kiri, Orochimaru, Karin…There are a lot of things that must be dealt with. What is a major threat as things stand is the Akatsuki. There are many things that I do not know about them and they pose a direct threat to our safety."

He wasn't going to be doing anything as things stood, he would wait for them to make a move before joining the fray. If he just attacked, he would not know their plans. It wasn't just one member in the organization, there were a couple of them, and taking out one didn't mean the end of it, it was just the beginning.

Maybe he wasn't in a hurry because there was the thought that he could use what they wanted with Bijuus for his own means, but of course he wouldn't go on the path of hunting down Bijuu.

It would certainly make him an internationally wanted criminal and that was something that he would rather not have in this life.

A record like that would create an unnecessary heat and it wouldn't work well for what he was planning.

 **End Chapter.**

 **Big thanks to** **Freestyle 763** **for editing this for me.**

 **Umm, what can I add? Thanks for the reviews and I'll try to pick up my updates. I have been doing like one chapter a month in the past two months. That isn't acceptable. I will try to change it coming into this month of June.**

 **The omnipresent Sage**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Tsunade stood up as Kushina entered her office.

She wanted to show some respect to the woman; she didn't want to come up as someone trying to force things because she knew that the Uzumaki would not like that at all.

She had to work things out a bit delicately at this time because she came out forceful, she would meet a hard rock that grow arms and hit her back if she tried to bully it.

Kushina wasn't the one to be bullied.

She has learned that these women with connections with Naruto needed to be handled with care or else she would not get anything from them. Even Mikoto hadn't let a damn thing slip, even though she had asked some good questions that would confuse a normal person.

"Thanks for coming, Kushina." Tsunade said with a smile. "Please make yourself comfortable."

Kushina didn't sit down; she stared at the blonde Senju for a long minute.

"Thanks, but why did you call for me, Hokage-sama?"

When Kushina was calling her so respectfully, they were not speaking as people who had known each other since the redhead was younger. The woman normally, called her by name. This was just a warning shot, and she had to be careful with how she responded or else the woman would turn back and leave.

She could not force her to stay.

Tsunade breathed in, calming her thoughts before she settled down.

"I want to talk about Naruto." She said in a firm but a not forceful tone–just to signify that it was a serious matter, but she wasn't being forceful about it.

"We have already had this discussion and what did I say about it?" Kushina asked calmly.

"We are never to discuss Naruto when he isn't present if there is something I want to know." Tsunade repeated the damn words Kushina had made her say the last time they had a discussion about Naruto – to say discussion was a bit misleading; she had actually been interrogating the Uzumaki.

A naïve mistake on her part.

"It seems you remember." Kushina said. "Then there is no need for me to stay here. Good day, Tsunade…"

"Kushina." Tsunade started in a pleading tone. "I'm sorry about how I came up to you last time. I was just a bit frustrated. Can you please sit? I just want to talk as someone who wants to understand the situation better, if you don't like how I am talking, you can leave and I will never bother you again; you have my word."

Kushina smiled, "I'm still under no obligation to answer your questions." she said as she sat down.

Oh, she knew the woman wanted to ask questions about Naruto. last time out she hadn't answered anything because the woman had been demanding things from her and calling her son by names.

She had not appreciated it.

"Thank you." Tsunade said.

She didn't get to it because she still had to sort out how she was going to go about it. this was the moment she could strike a friendship with Kushina or they could be enemies. she was potentially going to make a deal with Naruto soon, depending on how things went here, she would be making a deal with the devil, but if things went okay, she would still be in bed with his mother.

That would make things safe.

As if Kushina was reading her thoughts, she spoke words that just shattered her thoughts.

"Just in case you're having ideas; Naruto does not like people who try to come up to him through me."

Tsunade didn't say anything that would incriminate her: she just smiled, "Thanks for the warning; I will walk carefully. Listen, Kushina; Last time I may have come as trying to find information from you that would make me turn on your son, but that wasn't the idea. I have spoken to Naruto, and he has it made it clear that he doesn't want any trouble with me; we don't have to be friends, but as long as we have a good working relationship, he is fine."

Kushina tilted her head to the side. "If he has come to you with that, what more do you need?" the Uzumaki asked. "I know my son wouldn't lie about something like that. He almost never lies, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't mix things up."

"I know he wasn't lying; Shikaku agrees with me as well. Well, actually he is the first person to suggest to more straightforward and frank relationship with your son." Tsunade said honestly.

"My problem is that I don't understand him, and my lack of understanding makes it difficult for me to deal with him. I know he doesn't hold any love for Konoha, but it has been pointed out to me that he doesn't despise the villagers for everything that they put your family through. Of course, that raises questions because as far as I have been told, Naruto doesn't forgive anyone who harms his mother…I am concerned about that."

"Oh." Kushina mouthed before falling silent for a couple of seconds. "What do you expect from a child, Tsunade? Do you expect a child to get things right?"

"Of course not, you expect them to mess things up and sometimes infuriate you to the point where you just want to beat them up…Regardless, a child is a child, you cannot hate them for what they do, unless they know it's wrong and they are doing it purposefully…" Tsunade responded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Maybe at first Naruto felt contempt for the villagers but he was controlled about it…He didn't lash out. I was the one who lashed out. My son felt that as long as I was angry, there was no need to be angry as well. My anger was enough for both of us. That only solved the part of his lack of action towards the villagers but not contempt. At some point he stopped seeing them as people, to something less, not human. Maybe they were just vile creatures or uncivilised monkeys who could not discriminate between right and wrong. Therefore, for them, what they did was natural for them. As you said, you cannot hate a child for messing up; that is normal for them, right?"

That was just a complex and twisted way of accepting things; it was just wrong. Naruto had diminished their value as humans to something more like trash in order to 'tolerate' their existence.

It wasn't right for someone to do something like that, yet it showed just how much Naruto was willing to go just so he could not dilute himself with hate.

If he had learned to hate, the results would have been disastrous.

Should she be thankful that he had lived that way? There was a lot that had happened, so many things the Sandaime Hokage had witnessed being done to the Uzumaki.

"Did you accept it?"

"It was not whether I accepted his way or not, but even if I did not accept it there was nothing I could do at that time. It wouldn't have helped if I had tried to make him see things different if the moment I say something someone comes up and curses his existence and I get mad to the point where he has to hold me back from ripping them apart."

Tsunade wasn't surprised; there were records of such events.

It did say something though; had he felt that they were not worth his mother's anger? She doubted that he had held back his mother because he realized if she did something it would only worsen the situation.

It must have been difficult though.

Naruto was the son of the Yondaime Hokage, and yet the villagers had resented him; they had accused him of killing their beloved Hokage. That man they cried for was Naruto's father, so in a sense, they were accusing the blond of killing his own father.

They might not have known, but it didn't change anything.

What they did was sickening. To accuse a mere child being a demon, the Kyubi incarnate. People did some crazy things in their anger, and grief. She would know better because in her madness, she had left this village had blamed it for killing her loved ones. But that wasn't the truth, was it?

She had resented Konoha for what had happened, and they had resented Naruto for what happened.

Minato had died wishing that they could see his son as a hero, because in truth, it was because of Naruto that the Kyubi had been stopped. She could not take away anything from Minato; for having the heart to sacrifice his own son for the sake of the village–that was something that made him a great Hokage.

Instead of seeing his son as a hero, the villagers had looked at him with unmasked contempt; they had spat on the wish of the very man they called their hero.

How had her sensei been so kind enough to lead such people?

She should not be the one saying, should she?

Tsunade looked at Kushina and asked. "What about now… how does he view them?"

"Things have changed, Naruto is changing." Kushina said. "People don't always remain the same…Even if it is a little, people do change. There are so many things happening in this world that happen around us. You cannot force true change; that is something I have learned with Naruto. My son isn't some evil person. I'm in no way saying that he is a saint… he does some things, bad. and I will not justify it by saying that it is because of what the villagers did to us. Ultimately, we all choose how to live our lives, my son has chosen his way. As his mother, I'm there to give him guidance, ensure that he doesn't fall into a dark pit. Just because I am his mother, doesn't mean that I must choose for him.

Even so, no matter what, Naruto is my son and nothing he will do will change that. I will always love him, and will not betray my feelings as a mother to anyone, not to this village, not to you. Minato already chose Konoha, I can't choose Konoha as well over him. It would be betrayal, and I know my son, it would break him…"

Tsunade could understand; she was not a mother, but a mother's first instinct was to protect their children, regardless.

At least she knew that even though Konoha was unfair to the pair, Kushina still did love this village, if not, she would have taken Naruto away from here to somewhere else. The reason the two were still here because the Uzumaki did hold this village to heart and the sacrifice her husband made, wasn't something she was willing to turn her back on, even though Konoha did so.

"How does Naruto view the villagers now?"

"I don't know; but as I have said, things have changed. They don't resent him, but do not come to him. Most just try to ignore him. They have gone around the idea that he is the son of the former Hokage and maybe what they did was wrong. Sasuke had a mission when he came back here; it was to decide whether this village was worth protecting and fighting for. If it was filled by just trash, then it would not be worth it."

Tsunade frowned.

That was the first time she was learning of something like that.

"What did he discover?"

"Well, he is still a shinobi of this village, isn't he?" Kushina asked with a smile. "Mikoto told me, but whatever you do, you will not be able to break apart those two. Neither is willing to admit, but they have come through a long way together, and they are friends. They are each other's one and only trusted friend."

Tsunade nodded; she had been coming this the wrong way, coming in with hostility. These people did not mean any harm to anyone, they just wanted to live their lives the way they wanted but there were some things that needed to be kept in check. She simply could not allow them to do as they pleased.

She was the Godaime Hokage.

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Kushina." Tsunade said in an honest tone.

"Your son has been somewhat open with me in what he wants. Of course, I still think there are some things that he doesn't say, but I should have never doubted sensei's work. In his report, he did say that unless Konoha did something to you, Naruto would remain here. I was just worried as a leader with what happened to Danzo. If Naruto thought I was out to get him, what would stop him from trying the same thing he did with that man to me? As a leader, I had to consider such a thing, because really, it was a possibility."

"Naruto isn't driven by paranoia." Kushina said in a firm tone. "Danzo's thought was proven and the fact that he was willing to reach it to you, to try to make things smooth should have given you enough reason to think such an outcome would not come."

"I know." Tsunade said. "But, thank you."

 **Training Ground 7**

A panting Neji settled down out of weariness.

He had been in the training ground doing rounds with Naruto; the Uzumaki wasn't forgiving and brutal. He was learning what it meant to train hard. It wasn't to say that he hadn't trained hard before. Everything that he has learned so far has been something that he had learned himself without the help of anyone, not the Hyuga clan, no one had helped him.

Still, he had believed that he was skilled, that was why he was good at what he does. Everyone had looked at his skills and have been awed. He was hailed as a prodigy of the Hyuga clan, and yet before Uzumaki Naruto it all meant nothing.

The Uzumaki was surely far more skilled than him, and better just as Hinata had said. He hadn't been willing to come to the blond, but she had insisted saying that he would be helped and that with Naruto's training, he would grow stronger than he was already.

She had kept saying he needed to be stronger for the future, what kind of future, she did not say.

"I must admit." Naruto started looking at Neji. "Despite your arrogance, you are skilled and everything you have learned so far is nothing to scoff at. It is even much more impressive knowing that you didn't have anyone to help you in your training; you've had to learn through your body.

"I'm not a prodigy, but I have bettered those called geniuses because of dedication to training. It isn't just skill that makes you strong, it is also the ability to learn. You must have also the mind to calculate and think; if you cannot think, even the smallest things will take you down."

Hinata smiled as he got into the picture: Naruto might have said she should stay away, but if he was going to be in Neji's presence, then there was no need for that to happen. Besides, she was pushing for a meeting with the blond and her father to clean out the tension between them.

They have not met, but she knew her father wasn't fond of the blond.

As someone who trained and bettered her, Hinata couldn't have her father hating on him.

"I think people don't call you a genius because of your attitude." Hinata said with a smile. "By all accounts, you are a prodigy; you have the skill and wit to make use of everything you know."

For a moment, Naruto thought of comparing himself with Orochimaru, but the idea repulsed him so much that he quickly erased the thoughts inside his head.

Orochimaru had been called a genius despite his twisted personality, so Hinata's reason didn't carry much weight.

"I have never been concerned with what people call me." Naruto responded calmly. "What is your goal, Neji?"

The Hyuga stood up and looked up into the heavens; what was he that he was fighting for really?

For now, he was Hinata's protector, her guard. He was her cousin, but she was from the main branch and he was following the fate that has fallen everyone from the branch family.

This was his life but he wanted to change it.

Hinata often said that he was free to be himself, but honestly, he was not free. As long as the caged bird seal was still on his forehead, he could never be free. They might not be visible, but Neji felt that there were shackles that were holding him down, depriving him of his freedom.

He could not deny that things have changed, starting with Hiashi opening up to him and treating him kindly. He was an important member of the clan, but the chains on him were not loose. He was still a caged bird.

Hinata spoke about changing things when she does become clan head, but for that to happen, she had to remain pure, and inside the clan; if not, she would not make her dream come true. She still has everything, strength was needed to fight future battles, as she has acknowledged, it would not be simple changing generations of tradition.

"Freedom." Neji managed to say.

He wanted freedom from his fate.

"You must understand what freedom means before you try to find it. But one thing I can tell you is that; people can chain your movements, dreams but there is no one who can chain your mind. For some people, it isn't other people who have chained them, but they are restricted by their own ideals, beliefs. If you free yourself from your own beliefs, mind-set, it will be easy to get loose from the chains. Think about those words, Neji. Because that Caged-Bird Seal isn't what is holding you back, but your own ideal. When you hold twisted beliefs, you will become a slave to it, and I tell you, once you become a slave to your beliefs, getting out of it is difficult, though not impossible if you try."

Neji stared at the Uzumaki for a long minute before simply nodding; he didn't comment on what Naruto had said.

It was something that no one had told him before, and his not so stupid mind could weigh the words as having sense in them. It wasn't just some nonsense a parent told a kid to calm them down; the words were true and could not be understood by a simple person.

It even took a kind of a person to utter them.

"That should be enough for today." Naruto said before turning to Hinata. "I will send you further instructions on how to go about his training. Things are going to get busy from now on…So I may only have time to see how far things are going."

He was going to engage the Akatsuki soon, and he had to make a visit to Kirigakure; the visit was important to his plans, it was important for tomorrow. The engagements would be happening outside the Hidden Leaf, so he will not be having the time to play sensei to eager students, Ino included.

He wasn't most worried about the Yamanaka though.

Once Sai settles down, he would teach her what she needed to learn.

"That is fine." Hinata said. "Neji is smart; I'm sure he will be fine by himself. Well, I will also be around anyway. Since I have been active as the clan heiress, father has limited my involvement as a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf."

It wasn't surprising; not the least.

Hiashi made sure that his daughter was only exposed to minimum danger to ensure that her safety was secured. It was in such times that clan heads prioritise their clans over the good of the village. The Hyuga was the biggest clan now, so Hinata had to be given more responsibilities.

"Does that mean that your younger sister will carry the torch of the clan along with Neji within Konoha's forces?" Naruto asked.

Hinata nodded.

"Regrettably, yes. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he refused to change his mind. This is actually the reason I am still active as a kunoichi for Konoha. If Hanabi was safe, I would no longer be wearing Konoha's headband. You will meet her someday and she will also become your student."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the statement from Hinata; she wasn't asking him to take her younger sister as a student, she was telling him that Hanabi would become his student soon.

Since when did things become like that?

With Neji, she had asked him, but not on this one.

Was it because she knew that if he captured both the Hyuga girls, he would have the Hyuga clan in his 'hands'?

Naruto smiled, amused by the thought. He didn't put it past the girl to have something like that in mind. She was tempting him, giving him things he liked just to see what he would do with them.

"You're growing, Hinata." Naruto said calmly. "But there is no need for me to extend myself that far. I have you; there is nothing else I need."

"That is unexpected." Hinata said but there was no disappointment in her tone.

"I will try another day." She said. "Let us go, Neji; it appears Naruto-kun has some guests."

"Uninvited guests." Naruto said.

"But guests nonetheless." Hinata responded as she walked away.

Neji followed her quickly.

After those two disappeared, two men flashed on each side of Naruto; the other attacked by lifting up his right foot, aiming at Naruto's left shoulder; the other drove a right punch towards the side of his head. Both attacks were going towards the blond simultaneously.

Naruto responded by ducking under both attacks.

As soon as his hands touched down, the ground burst through, a kunai heading out first followed by a gloved hand; the attack was aimed straight towards his face. The man on his left hand drove his heel down towards the top of his head, whilst the other man jumped away.

Naruto burst into a murder of crows to avoid both attacks before landing a distance away, whilst his eyes watched the third man, who was doing hand seals.

The man landed on the ground before slamming his right hand down.

" **Doton: Mud Wall!"** He shouted before a wall burst forth from the ground in front of Naruto, blocking his front view.

The blond didn't move his feet after hearing a sound of birds chirping from behind: Kakashi was dashing towards him with a Chidori lighting up his right hand. The Jonin was upon him in a second driving the jutsu towards his back.

Naruto response was swift; the blond sidestepped the jutsu whilst twisting around to face the other way, turning his back on the mud wall. His left hand found its way at the back of Kakashi's neck, but he was put on alert when the Jonin brightened up.

'Lightning Bunshi-'

"Doton: Earth Prison!"

The ground shook slightly as walls sprouted from the ground quickly before the blond could move away. The walls closed on him in a dome like shape before 'Kakashi' burst into lightning.

The mud wall also exploded in fiery flames as if they had been imbedded with explosive tags.

The three attackers stood side by side as they looked on at the raging flames.

"You think that got him?"

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows?"

"I find that kind of nonchalance with regards to my life offensive, Kakashi." Naruto suddenly said, standing behind the three men. The blond's cloak was burnt but he was fine. "If I was paranoid, I would have thought you were trying to kill me, and would have succeeded if not for the Nidaime's invention."

The three quickly turned around, before the middle man spoke.

"Well, he didn't escape without a scratch..." he said.

"If there had been scratch, we would have been summoned by his mother." Another said before they all burst into laughter.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond something came to mind; it was a statement that was said. Who would heal him at home? He didn't have a recognized medic in his little circle; that was just plain dangerous. What was he thinking doing something like that?

He had to correct that soon.

The blond Uzumaki shook his head and turned his focus on the three men in front of him. "Tiger, Panther, it has been some time. Is this how you greet me? We are no longer in initiation at Anbu…"

Panther responded. "You left still a trainee, you never graduated to become a full-fledged Anbu despite the number of dangerous missions we did."

Naruto blinked; that was true.

He shrugged; it was of little concern. It mean didn't mean anything.

"I'm still in Anbu records, everything else follows." Naruto said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Hanging with those kind, are you returning to Anbu, Kakashi?"

"Hey, what do you mean those kind?" Tiger demanded from the blond.

"I think young Naruto has forgotten how fun Anbu is and the joys we had together; he seems to have reverted to the usual thought about Anbu." Panther said.

"Maybe we should teach him what it means to be Anbu once again…"

Naruto stared at the two.

What were these two to him exactly? They were former comrades and people who have been invited to his home to have a chat with his mother. He had trusted his back with these two in dangerous missions and they had always protected it with everyone, because as they would say, 'we are a team.' Apparently, team members looked out for each other.

The result was a team result; there were no individual glory in the team.

It was something, wasn't it? That little time had taught him most about teamwork and what it meant to look out for someone. He had learned to be human from Team Yugao, and that was truly something else considering that Anbu were often accused of being killing machines that had no emotions.

Those two were not his pieces; he didn't benefit himself from talking to them in friendly manner. He could have said that their time together was the past, but he didn't and they still talked.

And people accused him of not making acquaintances.

The blond shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "I doubt you came out here just to test me…"

"We were coming in to invite you and surprised we were upon finding you in your sensei gear. I didn't know you were a good teacher." Panther said. "Kakashi-senpai had said something about it, but I never quite believed it. Well, it is no wonder the 'above' are thinking of making you the trainer of the secret Anbu academy…"

"What?" Naruto asked with a stare.

Tiger hit Panther on the shoulder before clearing his thoughts.

"Anyway."

He didn't clear Naruto's confusion.

"Join us later and we will discuss about when you were planning on telling us that you're sleeping in the same bed as the captain…"

"What?" Once again, Naruto asked with stare.

"What?" Tiger responded. "The only reason an independent woman like the captain would leave her house and move into yours would be to follow you. It appears that boyfriend play you did in that mission became a real-life story, well, we would like to hear more about it later…" The man said before he and Panther disappeared into nothing.

Naruto stared at Kakashi; it had to be the man filling them with nonsense.

Seeing Naruto's stare, Kakashi was quick to speak.

"Nice weather, today, don't you think?"

Naruto stared; that was lame. Even Kakashi had to think it was.

Couldn't the man think of something better to say that would take away his focus from what he was going to ask? He was still going to ask about what those two had said about Yugao, this little thing would not distract him.

"Really?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I wanted to say, 'is that a black cat behind you? But I thought you wouldn't fall for that." the Jonin said calmly. "You're doing a rather good job in teaching. I'm certain you will raise many more skilled shinobi. You are better suited for being a sensei, than I am."

"Is that why you tell your fellow Jonins that I was the sensei of Team 7?" Naruto asked.

"Yea." Kakashi said. "You get along with those two? Well, they are not bad people."

"I wasn't aware you were familiar with them." Naruto said. "But it shouldn't be a surprise, you worked with Yugao. Still, what have you been saying to them?"

Kakashi eye smiled. "You don't look angry."

"Why should I be?" It was just words, a rumour that wouldn't harm him in any way. His mother would probably laugh about it and it would take the attention off Mikoto. No one would think something like that.

For a moment, he considered the idea of going with the flow.

"Who knows?" Kakashi shrugged. "So, what have you been busy with?"

Naruto just stared.

Kakashi shook his head; well, that didn't go well. It wasn't because Naruto didn't like the question, it was because it was obvious. Trying to start a conversation with the blond was becoming slightly difficult for him, but it was never the case before, was it? Perhaps it was difficult because they no longer spent much time together as they used to.

They had been close then, even though Naruto would not admit it.

"I miss the days we used to spend together. Those days your mother would stick out her head from the window promising me pain if I was telling you anything 'corrupting'" The Jonin said, in a slightly serious tone.

Naruto looked up for a moment as he went through his memories; he was not trying to remind himself of the days he had spent with Kakashi. He had spent some good days with the former Anbu, very good days if he were to say. For Kakashi, it was never about anything, no hidden agendas, just a close relationship.

The man had seen him as family and he guessed with how his mother welcomed the man, she saw him as family as well. He could never forget that the man watched over his mother the months she carried him. He had watched her day and night and been there for them after his father had sacrificed himself for the sake of the village.

He hadn't come with anything hidden, just an honest smile.

The thoughts came back again.

And everyone thought he didn't make friends.

Well, he couldn't say he had made friends with Kakashi, the man had marched his way into his life. As far as he could remember, the man has always been there with his eye smile and little book and never trying to force his opinion on him, but always honest.

"I guess it has been long." Naruto finally spoke in a quiet tone. "There has been a lot recently, and we have changed… I guess things started changing after the Sandaime made you my sensei. You tried not to get close as not to try to create the impression that you had a favourite. But of course, I ended up taking over Team 7 and you just decided that you were given an easy job and became a lazy good for nothing sensei."

"I could say that I saw that you were doing a good job being a sensei that I just decided to watch over it." Kakashi tried to defend his actions in a weak tone.

"Yeah, right." It was Naruto's flat response.

Before the Jonin could respond, an Anbu dropped by Naruto's side and whispered something into his left ear before vanishing into thin air.

The blond looked at Kakashi. "Looks like I have been summoned by the Godaime. Come on, walk with me back to the village. Tsunade can wait for a couple of minutes…You do make her wait, right?"

Kakashi eye smiled.

"Occasionally." He said as he walked up to Naruto.

 **Minutes later (Hokage Office)**

Tsunade stared at the boy who introduced himself as Sai; judging by the mask on his face, there was no doubt he was a product of Danzo's brutal training. The damned war hawk trained his puppets to be emotionally dead and to have fanatic love for Konoha as he did. It was no wonder her sensei had despised his methods, well, she didn't like them either and was glad that she didn't have to deal with him.

Still, it was something that he had managed to become Hokage, wasn't it?

He had sat behind the desk and smiled in content, thinking; I have finally made my dream a reality, but bang came Naruto. The blond had other thoughts. He could not have someone who only saw him as a weapon controlling the village. If he had just escaped, the man would not have rested until he captured his precious Jinchuriki.

"Tell me, Sai." Tsunade started in a slow tone. "What was Danzo's plan after becoming Hokage?"

Jiraiya quickly interjected before Sai could respond. "Is there really a need to bring up that dark chapter of the village, hime?" The Toad Sage asked, sitting at his usual place.

He called it a dark place because it was a day that many shinobi had gathered in displeasure at the choice of the new Hokage; it had never happened before. For certain, those who were familiar with the man knew how he had ascended to the office and what he would have brought if he managed to get everything under his control.

That man would have removed everyone he saw as a threat, and many shinobi had known this, which was why they were not happy. But there was nothing that anyone could do about it, lest they risk a civil war because there were those who supported the war hawk.

They had to thank Naruto. His actions had saved the future of this village even though no one was willing to say it publicly.

"I just want to understand things, Jiraiya. Unlike you, I didn't have many interactions with him over the past years." the Godaime Hokage responded calmly.

"So?" She said to Sai.

"The plan was to make Konoha the dominate force. In his view, the Hidden Leaf was the strongest village and should be the leader of other nations." Sai responded before falling silent.

Naruto appeared in the room just then; he looked at Sai for a moment before going to take a seat beside the teen.

Once he was settled, Sai continued talking.

"If it had been him, he would not have taken the same measure the Shodai took to try to unite the Elemental Nations and retain a balance of power with the Bijuu. He would have taken them for himself and used them to force other nations to submit to his will. Of course, those who refused would face annihilation."

"And you would have supported the madness…" Tsunade said.

Sai nodded. "It was our job to do so," he simply said.

Tsunade shook her head. It was surprising that he was willing to admit that with a straight face. He wasn't ashamed of it. this was a subject she wasn't going to talk about with Naruto. The Uzumaki had yet to explicitly admit to her that he had indeed killed Danzo and whom he had done it with.

Well, she knew that and his mother had admitted it.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Tsunade said, finally taking notice of the blond Uzumaki.

In response, Naruto just stared at the woman.

Tsunade shook her head, having expected some response from him, but nothing came. It was a little disappointing. Maybe she was bored today and was looking for someone to give her a smart response that would make her mad. It has been long since she snapped, hasn't it?

"Since Naruto is here, can you tell us what you know about the Akatsuki?" Jiraiya said in a serious tone.

The man meant business. Well, the Akatsuki was a serious matter.

Sai didn't even look at Naruto before he responded. He didn't need the permission to speak. The fact that he was here meant he had to speak, to both Tsunade and the Toad Sage. But of course, there were some things that he would not speak about–they didn't have to know everything.

The pale-skinned teen went on to share his information.

"I had heard some rumours that Hanzo was no longer alive and that the new leader of the of the Hidden Rain was the leader of the Akatsuki, but there has been no way to prove this because getting into the village. Even if you manage to get in, there is no getting out." Jiraiya said.

That was the usual theme around everyone who entered the Hidden Rain. His contacts have been treating it as a no entry zone, lest you wished to disappear as everyone has once entering the village. They wanted to gather more Intel first before going because it was apparent that they did not know what they were dealing with in that village.

The Toad Sage didn't look at Sai as he prodded, he looked at Naruto. "How sure are you that the leader is based in Ame?"

"Positively." Naruto responded calmly. "There is no doubt."

Itachi had worked in the organisation and he had been able to ascertain that the leader was staying in Amegakure. He had never met the man in person, as he hadn't been the one to invite him over. The Uchiha who was the cause of his pain was the one who invited him, but the appearances of the 'leader' has always been a hologram.

Nevertheless, there was one thing that Itachi didn't seem to doubt, and that was that the man was incredibly powerful.

He did wield the legendary Rinnegan after all.

Even with all he knew, Naruto didn't know much about the Rinnegan. Well, to be specific, he didn't know anything worthwhile. Even Itachi hadn't known anything valuable about the doujutsu, which proved to be a problem. The doujutsu was filled with mysteries and most people didn't even know it even existed.

"How?" Tsunade demanded.

Naruto gave the woman a look. "We are being civil here and under no obligation to share this with you, yet we are doing so because we want cooperation in eliminating the problem we both face. You don't have to use such a tone with us…It tempts me to hide things just for the fun of it."

Tsunade frowned; he could do that.

"As you might know, Jiraiya, Danzo had dealings with Hanzo. They kept contact until well, the man assumed the Hidden Rain's leader was dead when communication stopped. Of course, being curious, the man did try to send someone to look into it, but they never returned." Naruto said.

"Have you considered going into Ame?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto shook his head calmly. "I'm not suicidal. And for the moment, I have not, but I will visit it soon once everything is well set. I just need a way of escaping that won't be a problem because I can do that in the blink of an eye…" He turned to Jiraiya.

"You might have had thoughts of going, but since I represent a chance of coming out alive, don't you think it would be best if I go? But if you think I will hide things from you, you can do whatever you want."

For a moment, he had thought the blond was concerned about his wellbeing, but the thought was quickly shot down. They might have developed a good relationship during their time away from the Hidden Leaf after the Uchiha incident, but Naruto was still Naruto, towards him at least.

This attitude naturally brought death to any thought of getting along with the blond as he did with Minato. No, the dream has died long ago when he didn't show up, when he chose to stay away. If he had stayed, if he had stuck around like Kakashi, maybe things would have been different.

"I think you would tell me what you found." Jiraiya said just to clear the air.

He didn't think the blond would tell what he would actually say to the person he does find. There was no doubt that Naruto could not get along with the Akatsuki because they were after him and as an Uzumaki, he knew if the Kyubi was extracted from him, he was possibly going to die. "But I would prefer it if you go with me. I can provide a way in the village and you will provide a way out if things get difficult."

Naruto appeared to think for a moment before shrugging. "Fine."

"When do we go?" Jiraiya asked, a bit excited at the idea of going out on a mission with Naruto.

"Not now." Naruto said in a firm tone. "I have other things to take care of…They have not been making a move now anyway, so it would be best to just keep watch. But we still don't know what they truly hope to achieve. Even so, their threat is something we agree on." The blond said.

Tsunade nodded. "They are S-rank shinobi, how confident are you in fighting them?"

"Problem is they fight in pairs, but if I'm paired with Sasuke, I can do it. I don't have any fears in facing them, but I would rather not do anything suicidal." Naruto responded calmly.

Tsunade snorted. "Says the brat who was involved in the killing of an active Hokage and faced Orochimaru on his own."

Naruto just shook his head; those were different situations. He had to kill Danzo. There was no way out of the situation for him. With Orochimaru, the snake wasn't the one for a quick kill, he preferred to fool around with his prey before biting, so that put him on the safe side. Besides, with his limitations, the Sannin didn't scare him the least.

Fighting a group of criminals was a different matter because the group was after him, and they would not rest until they got him. For now, he was fine because he knew that he wasn't going to be on the target list soon.

According to Itachi, they had planned on moving from the first to the last.

"Circumstances differ. If something new comes up, we will talk about it. for now, I am concerned about discovering their real agenda: what is it that they hope to achieve by collecting all Bijuu?" Naruto asked in thought. "Since I am here, how are things going with the agency?"

"You're free to do whatever you want." Tsunade said in a careless manner.

"However, Jiraiya...?" Naruto added with his eyes looking straight at the woman, waiting for her to confirm what he thought was going to happen.

Tsunade blinked and turned towards Jiraiya. "Looks like you were right." She said.

"Jiraiya is going to maintain a supervisory role and you will have some Anbu coming to you requesting information about certain things. In addition, you will be given jobs to search for Intelligence. That will be your only role; gathering Intel. You will not be doing anything that Danzo was doing and I hear word of anything contrary to my instructions, I will disband it and mark every member of the agency as rogue shinobi, are we clear?"

"You're the Hokage." Naruto said calmly. "Is there anything else?"

"I want personal details of everyone." Tsunade said.

Naruto gave the woman a flat look, but Tsunade did not waver. In the end, Naruto shrugged. "I cannot vouch for its legitimacy, but what you will be given will be what I know. You only get to read it but don't get to keep it or make copies…"

"Fine." Tsunade said.

Naruto smiled. "Well, this went rather well." The blond said standing up.

"Come on, Sai…"

Once the two teens were out of the office, Tsunade drew in a long breath. "Talking to him can be so taxing. You have to be on guard, always."

Naruto was the kind of person you didn't want to get into your hand, and letting slip of something was certainly suicide.

"It must make you wonder how sensei was able to keep at it." Jiraiya said. "Well at that time, he was still young, and learning…"

 **Uchiha Compound**

"Nothing will pop out if you just keep staring at me like that." Mikoto said to Sasuke.

Her beloved son had just been staring her with a curious and questioning look. She thought that he would brave himself and ask the questions he needed answered, but he did not–he just kept staring.

She was only speaking now because it stopped being fun a few moments ago, and it was slightly problematic.

She didn't want to use the word annoying.

Mikoto turned to face her son as she spoke again. "Are you perhaps trying to use your mother as a test subject for your newly invented mind reading jutsu?"

There was no such, she was just teasing.

Sasuke had to bite his tongue from saying; don't be ridiculous. That was something that should be left for Naruto or someone else but not his mother. He wasn't going to speak to his mother in such a way.

The young Uchiha walked towards his mother and sat beside her–she was sitting at the back of their house, enjoying the breath of the garden. "It is surprising seeing you alone without Naruto when you're not busy with clan matters."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think that you noticed that I spent some of my time with him." She said calmly.

"You spend more time with him and with his mother." Sasuke was quick to say.

Mikoto was not alarmed, not the least. Even if Sasuke thought something was up, she wasn't going to say anything and he would certainly be in denial of it to believe it. She knew her son. But of course, she didn't think he would have those kinds of thoughts.

Maybe he might think something is up, but nothing in the nature of what she had in mind.

"Are you jealous?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment before nodding.

"A little." He said in a whisper.

Mikoto giggled, amused. She could just imagine the look on Sasuke's face. The thought reminded her of the good old Sasuke who was cute when he was growing up. she missed that child of hers, but she understood that people had to grow up.

At least her son wasn't as bad as Naruto.

The Uzumaki was something else, but at least he was trying to change himself for the best. Maybe she was enjoying it too much, but she was seeing the results of her work so far. She was doing something that not even Kushina could do, and it was for best.

That at least made her feel good with what she was doing with him.

"Cute Sasu-chan." Mikoto said with a smile.

For a moment, Sasuke smiled, but it lasted for just seconds. He quickly hid the smile away–it would be unlike him. but he had just thought of the good old days he used to have so much being the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi and the youngest son of his mother. he had been loved, he had everything back then.

He lost things, but not everything.

The fact that he had to thank Naruto made him frown. If it wasn't because of the blond, Itachi would have killed everyone, leaving just him, but his mother had been spared, the children were alive along with their mothers. Some did have fathers because they hadn't been involved in shinobi matters, the loss was still great nevertheless.

"Is it because of what he did?" Sasuke asked his mother. "I don't think much about it and have never said anything about it to him, but I know. Itachi told me that it was only because of Naruto that he spared you and the younger generation. We still have a clan because of him, and I still have a mother because of him, is this because of it?"

Mikoto didn't offer an immediate response; she first thought about a few things before responding.

"I do have a lot to be thankful for him; you say you still have a mother because of him, for me, I still have my beloved son because of him and instead of just being a housewife, I now get to act, and be the woman who ushered a new generation of Uchihas within the Hidden Leaf. I am really grateful even though I know he didn't do it because of his love for us. Even so, we must not be blind, Sasuke. We are friends to them; we have been friends with them before everything else. However, before anything else, you are my son and I am your mother. We are not Uzumaki but Uchiha. You must realize what that means.

"We have our own future, and we cannot allow anyone to shape our future for us, not unless we see it as good and permit it. You and I know what Naruto values the most and at any day if he feels that what he values the most, he will do everything and anything to protect it."

Sasuke knew that already. He knew that what was important to Naruto's life above everything else was his mother, it has always been.

"I know mother." Sasuke said. "We must do things ourselves and not allow anyone to shift them for us. But, I also know that as long as his mother is alive, and even if it means protecting her, there are some lines that Naruto will not cross."

"I guess we can thank his mind for that; Naruto doesn't just take an action without thinking for the consequences. He understands it better than anyone that for every action, there is a reaction. For him, the reaction is from his mother, and how she responds will spell out his mood."

"You've gotten a good grasp of him." Mikoto said with a smile. "Well, you have always been with him, and Itachi must have told you everything about him."

"When you stick around for long enough, you learn things." Sasuke said. Besides, his brother had taught him so many things about the blond.

The only difference now was that he was a different person from Itachi; he would not handle things in a manner his brother would. He would do them his way.

"You still have no answered my question?" Sasuke said to his mother.

"Your brother valued Naruto's words, didn't he? He convinced him about the Uchiha, with Danzo and telling you everything. He has the ability to make people listen to him, not because he is manipulative, but because he says things that make sense when you look at them. When he puts his mind into it, he brings forth things close to perfection.

"He is flawed and has many problems as a person, but that mind of his is what sets him apart. He isn't a bad person to be and I think if things were different, he would make a great leader one day…" Mikoto paused for a moment as she breathed in.

"Sasuke, I love you and will always love you, no matter what. As your mother, it is my duty to protect you, to make sure that no one and I mean anyone makes you a puppet. You must have your own dreams."

She smiled a bit playful. "Of course, I must have fun and enjoy myself along the way."

Sasuke looked confused. "I don't understand mother," the raven-haired teen said.

"You don't have to understand it." Mikoto said calmly. "But know that my association with Naruto is for both his and your sake and of course a bit of me as well."

 **Later that Day**

It had been so long since Naruto saw his mother excited, but she had been excited earlier and nearly burst.

He had simply told her that he was going out, and she had demanded to know where as it was late. He was usually home around that time, so he told her he was going to hang out with his former colleagues at an underground bar just for shinobi.

He would not lie to her over something like that.

He was surprised when she smiled happily and said, 'Oh, you should have just said you were going to hang out with friends'. And since he was going to a bar, she had said she was giving him permission to drink, but he wasn't to get drunk.

She didn't want him doing anything stupid.

She had reasoned that he could not enjoy himself with the others if he did not partake in the sake. For sure, those guys were going to be drinking, and he simply could not have water in a bar. It would be pathetic, but Naruto would not have minded, he would have had the water and some juice along the night and then he would have had to carry the drunkards back to their places.

Did it mean so much to her that he was doing something normal?

Naruto shook his head.

Was he being rhetorical on purpose?

He should know better than anyone that his mother would be happy if he did normal things other teenagers did. She would be thrilled by things like that. To be honest, it had made him happy seeing his mother smile like that.

Well, he was here in a loud place, sitting alone waiting for late people to show up…Even so, he could be normal for once?

The blond shook his head.

He would just act as he would. There was no need to go out of script. Or he could just play by the script and make sure those people get drunk enough for him to say things that happened on this night did not happen.

"You're in early." Panther said as he tapped Naruto's shoulder–the blond was sitting on a stool next to the bar counter. "Come on, we have our little corner reserved." The man said as he turned away.

Naruto got up and followed the man to the second floor; it was dark and had a couple of booths for privacy, he presumed. In some booths, he could not hear what they were saying because of silencing seals. But in this world, that was useless. Shinobi could read lips.

He had learned that in his Anbu days.

When they arrived at their corner, everyone else had already arrived and the drinks were on the table. Naruto looked at the amount of sake and shook his head. Yes, they were prepared to get drunk. Well, Anbu didn't get a chance to do something like this every now and then.

Missions were always at large and some things were just too much, at least for some.

Nothing serious was being said, it was strange for Naruto. The strange being how nothing of importance was being said. He could not say it was normal because the normal for him was talking about plans and other important things that concerned plans.

It was strange, he didn't do this with everyone, perhaps with his mother it was normal, but with other people it was strange.

They were laughing as they shared stories, making jokes as they didn't carry masks most of their lives living with just a codename. Anbu could be like that. It was something else; Naruto hadn't been in this kind of situation before. Was it always like this for other people?

Back then, they had said he was too young to go with them.

"You're awfully, quiet." Kakashi said, looking at the blond Uzumaki. "I don't know you for being too silent…"

He was the one usually doing most of the talking in conversation. He wasn't a loud person, he talked a lot. It was interesting since most of the things made sense.

Naruto looked at the Jonin through barely opened eyes. "It usually depends on the subject being discussed." He responded.

Panther smiled. "I know what will get you interested." The man said in a suggestive tone.

There might be some alcohol doing rounds inside his body, but Naruto wasn't close to being drunk, to miss something like that. He was learning on each day, and he was picking up on those things.

Even though he did not notice, he did not ask what the man was suggesting.

Tiger nodded with a grin. "So, how are things with the captain?"

"No one has been able to get close to her since her former lover was killed…According to trusted sources, in her moment of weakness, a certain Uzumaki was with her and even invited her to a fortress he calls a home." Panther said. "Ever since, the captain has recovered, quit Anbu and has even moved into the certain Uzumaki's house."

"Basically, we want to know if something is happening between you two…"

Kakashi's eyes perked up as he waited for a response from the blond. It would be interesting if something was happening between the two. Yugao had blushed when he had asked something was happening or if something had occurred.

There might not be a relationship, but there was something that happened.

"Nothing is happening." Naruto said. "You should know better than to assume something is."

"You mean there haven't been accidental bumps from the shower? No sleep walking into her room? You are at that age and even if you are Naruto, you're still human." Tiger pressed.

"You're being ridiculous." Naruto said in a flat tone. "I have far more control of myself than to be a slave to hormones."

"Ah, disappointing, I though-"

Kakashi was cut off by Yugao–who spoke as she settled between her former colleagues.

"Don't be fooled by that expressionless mask of his…"She said. "He isn't as innocent as he would like you to believe. Trust me, I should know, I live with him after all."

There was no reaction from Naruto.

"Tell us more." Both Panther and Tiger said at the same time.

"Well." Yugao started in a deliberately slow tone as her eyes went towards Naruto. There was no reaction from the blond: not even a slight twitch on his face. "Senpai has to take off his mouth for me to say, and I assure you, it is worth it."

"Not a fair deal!" Panther exclaimed. "You know he won't do that."

"We are Anbu, we will find out if we try. Anbu are always watching over things day and night, I'm sure we can talk to some people to get to the bottom of things," Tiger said with a grin.

Yugao bit her lip, but no one saw it. It would not be good for Naruto if they went that far. The blond would certainly not be pleased with her. She could even see it in his eyes that he was going to say something as soon as they got back home.

"Promise me that you won't tell, anyone." Yugao said in a warning tone.

"Well..." She started with an awkward smile, her eyes firmly on Naruto. "He is in a relationship with me, that's why I moved into his house. His mother apparently likes me as well…"

Panther spat out his mouthful of sake right on Naruto's face, but he didn't pay it too much attention as he turned his focus on Yugao.

"We were only teasing him." The man said. "I don't believe it…"

Yugao shrugged.

"Prove it." Tiger said. "We are all adults here…"

 **The last mean didn't come out as I imagined, but that is how it is. I think it may be a little weird, but I couldn't draw it in any other way.**

 **I've responded to almost everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to those who didn't get a response, thanks for the review.**

 **In terms of how far we are in the story, I cannot say for sure, because even if we do handle the issues arising now, Naruto will always be his mother's knight. That being said, I might fail to provide a proper conclusion to the story – not that I have done any better in my other stories anyway.**

 **I don't plan on going past chapter 35. So, for the next week, I will draw up how the chapters will be to make sure I don't go past that. Once I get close to 300k in words, I really start to run out of steam, so much that it feels like I no longer have a story to tell.**

 **And big thanks to Freestyle 763 for editing this one.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	26. Chapter 26

**Naruto's House**

Yugao stirred slowly as her eyes slid open; what a night she had last night. Never again was she going to drink with those perverts, especially her senpai. Kakashi was the worst but she should have known before she even said goodbye to Kushina–and she had said she was going to keep an eye on her son just to make sure that her former colleagues didn't take things too far as she knew them.

In the end, she was the one who ended up in more trouble. She would not have drunk that much had it not been for those colleagues of hers.

Aside from getting herself into trouble, the night had been fun.

She had missed those kinds of nights with the guys.

The former Anbu captain blinked as her eyes fully opened, she was staring straight into Naruto's eyes. The blond had his head resting on the palm of his head, facing her with an amused look on his face.

Yugao nearly jumped out of the bed when she became aware of everything.

"What are you doing in my room, Naruto?" Yugao asked, staring at the blond.

She didn't know how she even got back here. Yes, it had been that kind of a night. Naruto who was doing nothing to help her out after she ran her mouth hadn't helped it. But she had done it to keep his secret. If she had not said anything, those two would have done everything to find out about his personal life and would have caught him with Mikoto.

"Staring at you." Naruto responded calmly. "Before that, I was sleeping. Do you have a problem?"

"Yes." Yugao said with a firm nod. "How did I get here?"

"I had to carry you back here and had to carry Panther to his place while Kakashi took care of Tiger. They were pretty out of it after watching you shove your tongue down my throat whilst your hand was trying to get inside my pants."

Yugao had the decency to look embarrassed about it. Yes, she could remember that well. Those brutal friends of hers had told her to prove that she was indeed going out with Naruto, a kiss hadn't been enough. Those guys had kissed a lot of people, sometimes even men, just for the sake of a mission. After a couple of drinks, Yugao had pulled Naruto over and manhandled him.

Of course, he had stopped her from going too far, but that was because he had noted she had been too drunk.

Yet before that, he hadn't been trying to do anything, but appeared content with just going with the flow. Perhaps he had been amused by watching her rack her brain trying to see what she could do to get out of the situation. It might be that out of everything that occurred last night, her struggles had been his only amusement.

"If I hadn't done that, you would've been in trouble." Yugao said. "You know if two more start knowing, Kakashi was going to know and then the whole village was going to know."

"I was aware of that." Naruto said calmly. "But you started it and I told you to be careful with what you say. You didn't listen so I thought it would be a good lesson to you if I just went with the flow. Even sleeping here was just going with the flow…"

Yugao ignored the comment about just going with the flow in sleeping on her bed. "Did they buy it though?"

"Yes, but we have to play the part now because you couldn't keep your thoughts to yourself. There are some comments you shouldn't make because they will lead you into an uncomfortable situation." Naruto lectured. "This is why I just don't open my mouth around people who ask a lot of questions. You don't want to end up saying things that will trap you."

Yugao flipped to the side and winced as the headache she has been trying to ignore pounded her into submission. She stared at the ceiling. She now had to play a girlfriend to Naruto but she didn't want to deceive his mother like that.

However, if she does tell her the truth, the woman would ask her 'why' It would lead the question she had been trying to avoid with her former colleagues. Ah, this was what happened when you couldn't hold your mouth after a glass of sake.

Yugao blamed Naruto for it.

She wasn't like that, it was his fault for letting her in on his secret.

Oh wait, she had found out about it and been forced to keep it to herself.

"What do you think will happen if your mother finds out about you and Mikoto?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know, but I know she will not be happy, to what extent, I don't know. Mikoto says it is something that would threaten her friendship with my mother. Then there is also Sasuke to think about. He will resent me for it, most likely for the rest of his life." the blond said in a calm tone.

He wasn't concerned about it though. Sasuke's feelings towards him were not important. However, things could become difficult if the Uchiha decides to pull away from him. This was something he really didn't want to think about because it would mess up things.

Maybe he should start thinking about ending it before it becomes a problem.

"Your mother is certain to be furious with Mikoto." Yugao said in a firm tone. "She won't have to ask to know who made the move on whom. Just thinking about how her best friend took away her son from her and then slept with him, her precious son. Your mother will be furious.

"I don't want to see that. You're a bad person for putting me in this position. I'm not seeing anyone, so we can play the part, but your mother doesn't have to know anything because I don't want to lie to her. She has been good to me." Yugao said. "Are you okay with that?"

"I have no problem. Besides, I don't dislike you." Naruto said.

"That hardly gives me pleasant thoughts." Yugao said. Naruto got up from his side and got on top of Yugao.

"What are you doing?"

She wasn't resisting, she wasn't shouting, but her heart was beating really fast. This wasn't an unfamiliar position for her, and it wasn't that she couldn't say no, she just didn't want...

Naruto's face was just inches away from Yugao's, his hands holding hers. "The first time I kissed you, I came up strong, but you didn't seem to have a problem with it. Last night, I didn't have a problem when you were hungrily devouring my lips. Like last time, it got me excited…" He paused.

"You don't mind if I do it again, do you? It's like I'm standing at the edge of a cliff, but I can't jump on my own, I need you to give me that last push."

Yugao stared at the blond for a long minute; his intentions were obvious but she didn't want that. It wasn't that she hasn't thought of doing it before. She has wondered how he managed to satisfy Mikoto–but that was just her curiosity getting the best of her and a bit of loneliness.

Their sex talks didn't help things either.

"What happens after?" Yugao asked.

The desire was there, but she wasn't going to allow her body to be used for testing things. This was her precious body; she loved it dearly. Maybe if she was promiscuous, she wouldn't have a problem with it, but she was not. She wanted something more than just physical satisfaction; she was past that stage of fooling around.

"I don't want my body to be used just for sex. I don't want you coming into my room looking for a pick up." Yugao said in a firm tone.

"Yugao." Naruto started, looking straight into the woman's eyes. "Do you think I would do anything to hurt you? Think about your role. I trust enough with my mother's safety–for me, that is like trusting you with my own life. If I did something horrible to you, would you still stand me? Would you still be willing to live under the same roof with me? What would my mother even say if she found out that I purposefully hurt you like that?"

There was no need for Yugao to say anything else.

It was apparent that he had given it some thought.

Yugao raised her head slightly to meet with his. His warm breath washed over her face for a second as their lips brushed. The teasing lasted for a couple of seconds before Naruto's lips parted hers and he gently captured her into a soft kiss.

"Yug-" that was Kushina entering the room.

Both Naruto and Yugao turned towards the door, looking at the redhead Uzumaki. Yugao quickly pushed Naruto to the side; unfortunately, it was the wrong side that he ended up hitting the cold floor in a thud. Still, the purple haired former Anbu didn't pay it much mind, her focus was on Kushina.

"It's not what it looks like!" Yugao said quick to say before Kushina could say anything.

"I'll pretend to be innocent, stupid and that I didn't give birth to him." Kushina said leaning against the doorframe, hands folded across her bust. "What does it look like?" The Uzumaki asked, with an innocent look on her face, head tilted to the side.

From her tone, it was difficult to tell whether she was pissed off or just surprised with what she had seen. Yugao looked at Naruto for a moment before looking back at Kushina. The blond wasn't going to help her with anything. If anything, it appeared that he didn't know what to say because he wasn't expecting to see his mother catching him in that kind of a position.

"Umm…" Yugao started, but she could not say anything.

"I was worried. I checked your room before I went to sleep so I thought I'd check up on you Naruto. So when I didn't find you by your room and in the study, I thought perhaps you might know something, Yugao. I didn't think I would find this…" Kushina said.

"What does it look like again? Oh, you've had yet to answer me…"

Naruto closed his eyes as he settled on the edge of Yugao's bed. How had this happened? His mother wasn't supposed to see something like this from him. He hadn't thought that he would caught so easily. What was he even thinking making a move on Yugao like that? He really needed to get his mind thinking straight. It was all because she had looked so peaceful when she was asleep and he had given in to some thoughts.

How was he going to explain this situation to his mother though? She was looking at both of them with an expressionless look on her face. There was no emotion, but she was waiting for answers. She was still pretending to look stupid.

Seeing no responses coming, Kushina sighed, "I want both of you in the kitchen in 30 minutes. Breakfast should be ready by then, and we will talk." The woman said in a hardened tone before walking away.

"Well that was unexpected." Naruto said as he stood up.

"You think?" Yugao responded sarcastically.

Naruto turned to face the woman for a moment before shaking his head. "It's not what it looks like, huh?" He said, amused. "For someone who has been a career, Anbu, I didn't think you'd give such a response. If we were caught red-handed, but… it's not what it looks like?"

"What would have you said?"

"I don't know, but definitely not 'it's not what it looks like." Naruto said walking away. "Well, better figure out what it looks if it doesn't look like we were making out…"

"Laugh whilst you can." Yugao said. "But you should know that she is going to tell Mikoto about this, and knowing how possessive she seems, she definitely won't be happy. So while you take a shower, you can also think what you're going to say to your friend."

 **30 Minutes Later**

Naruto tried to avoid his mother's gaze as he walked towards the kitchen table. It appeared that she wasn't talking to Yugao yet, about anything. There was no avoiding the situation right now. At least he was certain that his mother wasn't mad about it. She had many questions and he would try to answer them as honestly as he could.

This was going to become a little normal, wasn't it?

Well at least his mother didn't see Yugao as his older sister, otherwise she would be thinking they had been committing something as distasteful as incest. If things had been like that, Naruto wouldn't have gone that far. He might be indifferent to most things regarding life and usual norm of what was morally right, but that was a line he would not dare cross.

"Have you changed your stance or is it still not what it looked like?" Kushina asked once Naruto was settled beside the kitchen table.

"Thanks for the food." Naruto said, assuming that his mother was talking to Yugao who had given her the response.

Kushina reminded the blond that he too was involved because it didn't take one but two. He had been the one on top of Yugao after all; the questions should be directed at him. "The question isn't directed at Yugao alone, Naruto. You were also in that room."

Naruto looked at his mother. How was he going to go about this? Honestly, he didn't know the best way to go about it. He wasn't planning on lying about it. It was just that this was something he usually didn't talk about and it was a little awkward since it was his mother. He was conscious of this fact these days. Back then, he would not have minded, but now he understood those sorts of things clearly.

"I never said 'it isn't what it looks like.'" Naruto quoted those words from Yugao.

He was going to be graciously blunt, but of course he would hold his tongue somewhere along the lines, but they were adults.

"Yugao?"

"I didn't know what to say at that moment so those words just came out," Yugao said.

Ah, she felt like a child who was caught doing something naughty by her parents and was in big trouble because of it. However, she wasn't a child. She was a grown up woman, and yet she felt like a child under Kushina's gaze.

"So?"

Yugao looked at Naruto.

The blond spoke, "It was what it looked like." Naruto said, but when his mother said nothing, the blond asked, "Mother, do you want me to explain explicitly what it was that was happening?"

Kushina quickly raised both her hands as she shook her head. She already saw it; she didn't need Naruto to go into detail about it. Oh, he would explicitly explain if that was what she wanted, but she didn't want any graphic images in her mind.

"There is no need." The woman said quickly. She paused as she calmed herself. "So, how long has this been going on?"

"It only lasted about a minute before you came in." Naruto said.

Kushina blinked.

"So you guys haven't..?"

That was what Naruto's words could mean. They were in the same bed in the morning, so she had thought they had spent the night together. They were not kids, so she had thoughts that had gone that far.

Yugao shook her head.

"Oh." Kushina said. Nevertheless, they were going to do it. "Yugao, can you excuse us? I want to talk to Naruto alone. Of course, I will talk with you after, but I need to clear some things with him first."

Yugao turned to Naruto-who didn't give her a glance, his focus was between the food and his mother. She sighed, knowing that he was just ignoring her. The former Anbu picked up her plate and walked away from the kitchen table.

"I know you two have been spending some time together…I mean the door is always locked in your study. You don't talk anywhere but the study. I didn't think anything was building up, but really I am surprised." Kushina said. "I'm happy that you're taking an interest but I thought it would be with someone your age. Maybe Ino-chan. I don't have anything against Yugao, she is family already.

"Yet, this isn't what I expected." the Uzumaki paused and gave Naruto a stare. "What are you trying to do, Naruto? I love you but I also care about Yugao. So, answer this question, do you love her?"

"I don't dislike her." Naruto said.

"I know you don't; I know you trust her, this is why we are living under the same roof." Kushina stressed those words. "But do you love her, Naruto?" Kushina asked, again, in a deliberately slow tone just to get the message across.

There was a huge difference between loving someone and trusting them. It wasn't out of love that Naruto trusted Yugao. It was based on something but not love. His response of not disliking her wasn't enough that he should be on top of her. Kushina wasn't going to accept it. There had to be something else for her to condone it.

Naruto was silent for a few moments as he went through his thoughts. "It would be a lie to actually say I do love her. I have only known to love you. Nevertheless, I understand now that loving you and someone else is different. I don't know what I feel. I can't really put it in words."

"Here is my second question." Kushina said after listening to Naruto's response. "What is your objective in this thing? Do you hope to one day marry Yugao into the Uzumaki, or are you just planning on enjoying your youth like the other children?"

"What do you want, mother?"

"Naruto, if when I'm sleeping in my room, that scene I walked into is what is going to be happening, you'll have to think about marrying her. If not, I'm not going to accept it. Temari isn't in the picture. For now, you can forget about her, but think about Yugao. Would you consider marrying her? That means making her happy. Think about this, and make a decision. Nevertheless, Naruto, if you decide that you can't see yourself marrying her, don't waste her time. I love this family, and I don't want anything to ruin it, do you understand me?"

"Yes." Naruto said.

"Good." Kushina said. "Now call, Yugao, I want to talk to her alone."

Naruto nodded and stood up.

A minute later, Yugao walked back into the kitchen.

She sat across Kushina.

"I'm sorry you had to walk into that scene."

Kushina shook her head. "I let Naruto go out to drink and the following morning that happens." She said with a shake of her head. "Well, at least I know that something like that had nothing to do with drinking. I believe that you're past that stage, Yugao. You're not a child anymore."

"The Sake had nothing to do with it." She said. "Admittedly, I had a little too much drink."

Kushina was silent for a few moments before speaking. "What do you expect from, Naruto, Yugao? Do you want something to take off your loneliness? Do you want a relationship? A proper relationship?"

"I can't answer that right now." Yugao said. "But to be honest, I don't think I'm at an age where I have the time to experiment on things."

Kushina nodded. "I don't have to tell you anything about Naruto. You know him. I love him, but there are things we must admit about him. While I will say Naruto isn't evil, he isn't the nicest person in the world. I know he is manipulative and wouldn't mind going as far as to play his hand with Tsunade…"

She paused before asking. "Do you think that he would not go as far as to manipulate even you, Yugao?"

"To be honest, I don't know about that." Yugao said in a quiet tone. "But I know he would not lie to me. For him, the consequence is too big. He is meticulous in the way he does things. He doesn't just move because of a sudden emotion."

Kushina smiled. "I'm glad you understand what you're dealing with. Because if you're looking for something bigger from Naruto, you have to know that it will not be smooth sailing. Nevertheless, you know him, I am sure you can handle him. Someone his age would not bear with him. If you can handle him, put a smile on his face, lighten him up, I cannot ask for more. All I want is for my son to be happy…And of course, your own happiness matters too, Yugao. So think carefully before deciding what you do..."

"I think I will try…" Yugao said.

Kushina smiled. "Please lock the door next time."

 **Afternoon**

 **Hokage Office**

Tsunade looked at the request in front of her for a moment and then stared back at Naruto.

"What is the story between you the Fire Daimyo?" The Godaime Hokage asked.

Naruto appeared to think for a moment; the Fire Lord was a sly old geezer who attempted to use him for political gain. Of course that had failed because the Sandaime was there, but Naruto wouldn't have had any problem with it. Well, back then he had thought that the old man was someone powerful, but now he had come to discover that he was irrelevant when it came to shinobi matters.

He may control the Fire country, but when it came to shinobi matters, he had little power and influence. Konoha allowed him to influence it to some degree but if a war was to break out, the Kages wouldn't hesitate to cast them aside because they would be just a waste of resources as they would be demanding needless protection that could have been better utilised in the efforts for victory.

Kages were the core in the Elemental Nations, they were the five most powerful individuals–at least that was what Naruto thought. He already had met one in the name of Gaara. Speaking of which, he really hasn't even bothered the Sand siblings and really didn't appear to care much about what was happening in the Sand.

Maybe he should make a visit soon.

Naruto focused on Tsunade before responding. "We attempted to use each other when the Sandaime was still alive. I don't dislike him, but I have lost all interest in him."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at hearing this. "What?"

"The Sandaime had thought if we stayed 'friends' it would reflect kindly on Konoha and I thought it would earn me some favours. However, I have come to understand that he is nothing. Maybe amongst the Feudal Lords and with money, but when it comes to shinobi, money isn't the important thing that makes you strong." Naruto responded calmly. "Why do you ask?"

Tsunade blinked. She was honestly surprised that he would tell her everything so simply even though she wasn't demanding any answers. Was this his way of dealing with her in a fair way or did he just think that it was something trivial so much that it didn't matter if she learned about it or not?

The slug princess shook her head. "There is a mission request and it names you specifically. He wants you to escort his wife back to the capital."

"I don't really have the time and patience to baby sit that woman." Naruto said with slight distaste at the mission.

"You don't have a choice." Tsunade said in a hardened tone. "You will escort her. You are due to leave tomorrow morning. Come in early and I will give further instructions. I should be done drafting my letter to the Daimyo by then." the Godaime said.

"You want to play that game as well?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade ignored the question. "I'm curious; why did you want to earn favours from the Fire Daimyo?"

"On the same subject." Naruto said. "I will make a visit to Kirigakure. The journey and everything, it should take about at least a week. So, I will be away from the village for that period and Sasuke as well."

"Why Kiri?" Tsunade said. "Why is that on the same subject? I don't see how those two connect."

Naruto raised his index finger as he responded. "Shinobi are despicable creatures who betray, kill friends and family for petty reasons. A war can be started for a simple reason…"

The blond Uzumaki paused, a shadow fell over his eyes for a split second as he responded, "To be honest, I find most of the shinobi population repulsive–for the lack of a better word. I tolerate the impurity because there is no way around it. Even so, I learned that people can change. Well, that comes with being human. You can change your mind in the blink of an eye for the good or for the worst. I'm always on my toes because this world isn't safe. It repulses me, yet I still fear it. I want to connect a few dots that will at least hold together to ensure that there is no war in the near future…"

He wasn't going to say anything more than that. That was the sweet noble dream that Tsunade needed to hear for now. Anything below the desk would be for him to know and for her to remain in the dark over.

She didn't need to know everything.

"For a second I almost thought that you'd want to do for the good of the shinobi world." Tsunade said. "But this is just for you or for your mother…"

"I will not deny nor confirm that, but it does benefit both Konoha and the Elemental Nations." Naruto said with a wave of his hand, almost as if he was dismissing Tsunade's suspicions.

"I will talk to you, tomorrow morning."

 **Uchiha Compound**

Sasuke stared at Naruto for a long minute as the blond Uzumaki walked into his house as if he owned the place. The blond just strolled in here like this was his house, this was his home, but it was not. He may have been coming here since he was younger, but this was not the Uzumaki background that he micro managed like a possessed demon; this was the house of Uchiha.

Sasuke felt that he needed to establish that.

"I don't just walk into your house like that." Sasuke said. "I'm sure you wouldn't be happy if I did so." the Uchiha said.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a raised brow; the teen was sitting with his mother. It wasn't often that he found the two together, but it was mother and son, it was to be expected. Still, looking at the woman was just trying to see if she agreed with what Sasuke was trying to suggest.

The woman merely smiled, but Naruto got the feeling that she either didn't want to comment or she was amused by the statement from her son.

"You wouldn't just get into my house." Naruto said in a calm tone. He settled down beside the two Uchihas. The table was littered with papers. Obviously, they were working together. "But I should not act as if I am the man of this house. It will not be happening again."

"Well, that is surprising." Mikoto said with her smile. "You're in a good mood today."

"You can say that." Naruto responded calmly. He turned to Sasuke, "I came to speak to you. It is important and I cannot leave without discussing it."

Sasuke snorted at the word 'discussing'.

Since when did the blond Uzumaki discuss things with him? Naruto only informed him about completed things and what he was planning on doing. There was never a day he consulted with him before doing something. The consultation was done inside his head before he goes on to dish out the final product to his 'subjects'

Naruto shook his head at Sasuke's expression. "Should I disturb your work, or will you can't hear me out?" The Uzumaki asked quietly.

"I'm listening." Sasuke said.

They were going to speak right in front of Mikoto–this was the first time he was discussing things with Sasuke in front of his mother. He didn't even go into such things with his mother. He always left the disturbing details of his plans to his mind, well, it wasn't that everything was disturbing and there was nothing outrageous he was going to say to the Uchiha.

Naruto turned to Mikoto: he wondered if she had spoken with his mother already, but by the looks of things, it was apparent that she had yet to do that. Well, if it meant that he could avoid her for now and until he leaves the village, so be it. There were things he didn't want to talk about with her at the moment if he had a choice.

"Sai is already in the village and is busy setting up things for the agency. We will still keep that base I showed you, but most things will happen in this village. I have spoken with Tsunade about it and we are on the same page. Once everything is set, Sai will fill you up on everything and you can visit anytime you want something." Naruto said.

"The Hokage actually agreed to it?" Sasuke asked, a little surprised. "What did you have to pull through to get her to agree?"

"Nothing." Naruto said with a shrug. "You just need to have a way with words. You don't get everything through using a forceful tone or demands. You must be willing to communicate clearly with people, to get them to listen to you. If people cannot listen, you can't sell them anything."

"Spoken like a negotiator." Mikoto said. "What more deals are you negotiating with the Godaime?"

"This and that." Naruto said vaguely. "The reason I came here is because I want you to come with me to Kiri tomorrow. It might take at least a week, but it is important. If your timetable is free, you can come with."

Sasuke looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "You're making a move on the Mizukage…" The Uchiha said. "I could use some outside air. What time do we leave?"

"Just be ready by early morning. I will let you know." Naruto said before standing up.

"Wait." Mikoto said to Naruto. "What move are you making on the Mizukage?"

"Nothing personal." Naruto said with a shake of his head. "But I'm not afraid to make it personal if that is what it will take to get her to see the same thing as me."

"I don't approve of that." Mikoto said in a very firm tone.

Naruto shrugged. "My mother doesn't approve of many methods I use." the blond said indifferently.

"You don't tell your mother the methods you use." Mikoto gave a flat response.

Naruto stared at the woman for a long minute before shaking his head. "That is true, but it doesn't mean she is ignorant of everything." The blond said before walking away from the two before he could be dragged into an argument with Mikoto.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke asked his mother. "Since when do you question his methods? You have always known that Naruto is a manipulative fox and will use any method he deems affective to get what he wants…"

It didn't surprise Sasuke that the Uzumaki could plan something like this. This was Naruto after all. He didn't go by what was morally right or wrong, he went by what he wanted to do and how to achieve it.

Perhaps this was by his dislike of humans. Well, the resentment was said to have been much worse before, at least according to his brother. These days the blond seemed tolerant and was willing to work with people. But of course, he only got along with those people in his circle.

"Nothing." Mikoto said. "What is Naruto setting up now? With regards to the Mizukage?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know the details but it was about connecting some dots to make a connection. I won't be surprised if it is to be able to influence how this world operates soon…" The young Uchiha paused before asking, "What do you think we should do?"

"See where this goes." Mikoto said. "But don't play your hand too much. It's okay if you just play along. We don't have to do anything, for now at least. Our clan isn't in a great position. But we must not allow trouble to get to us. But I'm sure Naruto won't be doing anything disastrous because he has to think about his mother."

Sasuke nodded. "I think so too."

"What is the difference between Naruto now and then?

Sasuke looked thoughtful for a few moments before responding. "He has really changed. I guess it is for the better, but I am not the one to say."

 **Later**

 **Icharaku Ramen**

Mikoto settled next to Naruto at the ramen stand, and ordered herself a bowl of ramen.

"Why do you like this place so much? From what I know, this is the only place you eat food aside from home. Well, when you are alone. I have never heard anyone saying that they saw Naruto eating somewhere else aside from here."

"I don't like the other places." Naruto said calmly. "Besides, this is the only place I have been able to eat in peace without having to worry about the food being poisoned."

Ah, the bitter old days' when being Uzumaki wasn't even the last thing anyone would want to be. But things have changed, haven't they?

Naruto no longer had to face anything despicable at the hands of the villagers; he could live his own life the way he wants to without them being a hindrance to it. He could do anything without them saying he didn't deserve it because he was nothing more than just a container.

The blond didn't quite live like a container, did he?

Even in his life as a shinobi, you'd never know he was a container unless you were told by someone who knew about it. He didn't even go around talking about the Bijuu inside of him and that wasn't because it was a sad subject.

There was another reason; Mikoto just could not place her finger on it.

"Well, I can't blame you with what happened in the past." Mikoto said before going silent as her order was placed in front of her. She looked at the steaming ramen for a couple of moments before eyeing Naruto out the corner of her eyes. The blond kept his gaze on his bowl. "Why do I have to be the last person to know about your absence from Konoha?"

It was Naruto's turn to eye the woman. Why indeed? But did he really owe her that much that she be treated as a special case? She was demanding some preference and he got the sense that it wasn't just because they were sleeping together.

He has known all along that it wasn't just about the pleasure–there were hidden agendas and emotions that were included. It had appeared as lust at first, but over the past, he has learned that it was more than that. He was refusing to admit it, even though he has accepted the woman as a part of his life.

"Are we in a relationship?" Naruto asked, in a bit of a curious tone.

"We are in one, but not one that I would like." Mikoto said. "I understand that things will be difficult if those in our families find out about it, but I can't just let this go. You've become a big part of my life and honestly, I'd say you're my secret man."

Naruto didn't offer a response to this. "Admittedly this is nice, it has been a pleasant experience and has changed some aspects about me, but how long do you think it will last, Mikoto?"

"That is something that I don't want to think about." the Uchiha responded calmly. "But I have trusted you with my own body; I don't want that to be meaningless. I know this is going to be difficult, but I want to at least try."

It was safe to say that his mother had yet to say anything to the woman about Yugao. It was better that way. There were still things that he needed to solve before making any decision. This wasn't just something that affected today or tomorrow, it would affect future days. Therefore, he had to be careful with what he decided.

"I didn't think that I would be thinking about something personal that didn't affect my mother." Naruto said. "But I guess this is something that happens when you're growing up. I'd thought I done my part though, but it seems that there is still so much to learn about life, emotions, relationships and the side of being human that makes us seek happiness, in ways that we can understand."

"You do admit that you want to be happy yourself…" Mikoto said.

"I never said I didn't want to be happy." Naruto said with slight shake of his head. "My mother's happiness has and will always be my priority. It is only that now I can see that it isn't just about her safety that matters. I am my mother's joy, that is something I am only starting to fully understand now. I've seen her burst with joy when I do normal things, when there are brief moments of happiness in my life. She has always told me that her desire is for me to be happy, to enjoy the riches of life. I accept that, but a part of me is always restless because of the kind of world we live in."

Mikoto felt happy, only because Naruto was willing to say this kind of thing to her. He normally would not, not to her or to anyone. He closed his heart to everyone, but she was happy that he allowed her to catch glimpses of what was inside his heart.

"This world isn't the most beautiful place, but just because it is filled with hate, murderous intents, and traitors, doesn't mean that you can't be happy; you can still be happy, because at the end of the day, that is a choice you make for yourself. Nobody can force it, you decide whether you want to be happy or not, and when you have made the decision, you make the effort." Mikoto placed the money for her ramen on the counter before standing up.

"You have to ask yourself, do you want to be happy? What will make you happy? How does that happiness affect those around you? If you want to talk more before you leave, come see me tonight."

 **The Following Day**

 **Outskirts of Konoha**

"Isn't this going to cause a problem if it is discovered?" Sasuke asked Naruto.

The blond had sent a clone to guard the wife of the Feudal Lord.

He might not know much but his mother had told him a few things about the Daimyo and his importance. For Naruto to send a mere clone to guard his wife was just a blatant show of disrespect.

What if something happens to her? It wasn't just going to affect the Leaf's relationship with its Daimyo but Konoha's image as well.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a raised brow. He had expected Sasuke to ask him many things, but not this kind of a question. It was surprising really. "Your mother is teaching you politics." the blond stated as the two sped through the forest, hopping tree after tree in the journey towards Kiri.

"For my future roles, it will be important that I know the basics." Sasuke said. "The Uchiha clan isn't dead–we are alive and well, maybe just 'young' but we will get there one day. When that happens, I need to be ready to handle things for my mother and the clan. Of course, that means dealing with other clan heads."

Sasuke would not care much about village politics; he was most concerned about the future of his clan and its survival. Well, they had survived Itachi and now they just had to stay silent while they raised the young children. They would reclaim their rightful place as Konoha's strongest clan, but for now, it was all about taking care of the small issues that were fundamental for the clan's future–in his hands.

His mother wasn't going to stay clan head forever, she was going to leave the duties for him at a certain stage. It wasn't now. He wanted to handle a few things first and fight many battles before he could think about looking into the inner workings of the Hidden Leaf.

"Your mother is doing a rather good job." Naruto said. "You're obviously learning something. That is good, I don't have to caution you when you make reckless decisions." he paused to really think about what he had just said. "At least most of the time…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sasuke demanded with narrowed eyes.

"You will always be Sasuke and I will always be Naruto. There are parts of ourselves that we can never get rid of." Naruto explained lightly. "I know when you hear something you don't like, there is a certain way you will respond, it might be measured now, but still the same thing."

Sasuke looked at the trees ahead of him for a long minute, thinking, once done, he went back to his earlier question. "Why did you really send a clone to guard that woman? For bandits, she is a good target."

"Not for rape or to be sold as a sex slave." Naruto was quick to say. "The worst that could happen is they sell her in the black market for her body parts, but that is unlikely. Since she is the Daimyo's wife, she is useful alive. She is likely just to be used for demanding a ransom."

"That indifference in your tone makes me wonder, but I'm not the one to say." Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "Wouldn't it be bad if something like that happens?"

"Naturally." Naruto said. "But nothing will happen. The clone is armed enough to handle bandits. It will be a different matter if it comes across shinobi, but we are not expecting something like that, so it should be fine."

"Aren't you the one who was always saying you should always expect the unexpected? This is the shinobi world, you can never really figure out what everyone is thinking." Sasuke responded calmly. "Maybe it doesn't apply now because it isn't convenient to you. This must be the hypocrisy Itachi spoke about." the Uchiha said the last words to himself rather than to Naruto, but the blond heard him.

Naruto chose to ignore the last remark from Sasuke, "There is nothing to worry about and in case something unexpected happens, there is a backup plan to ensure that things proceed smoothly." the blond said.

"But this just means you have no interest in using the Feudal Lord…He may not have much say in the workings for shinobi, but he is still the Lord of the Fire country and with that comes influence over other Feudal Lords." Sasuke said. "Still, knowing you, there might still be plans…"

"I have no such plans. If I wanted more, I could have had Sai pay some bandits to try something and then my clone would perform some heroics in ensuring the Daimyo's wife safety. Surely, the woman would have spoken my name in glowing terms…But I no longer have any interest in him…"

Sasuke's eyes turned towards the blond for a second before looking at the trees ahead. "You'd make her go through the ordeal just for that…"

Naruto shrugged. "It would be a valuable experience for her and I would end up eliminating vile insects that pollute this world." the blond said indifferently. "Let us increase our pace; we must hurry to get something to take us through the sea. I want to be in Kiri by tomorrow. We can go slow along the sea, I don't have a problem with it–it will be some time to relax and maybe some practise runs along the heavy currents."

"What would you need to practise along the sea?"

"Chakra control, elemental manipulation and you can train your senses." Naruto gave off a list.

"But you don't use Suiton jutsu." Sasuke pointed out, thinking that within the sea, one would think of utilising the vast amount of water for Suiton jutsus. He knew Naruto was a wind manipulator but he also used both Fire and Lightning to some extent.

Wind was his greatest, even though he rarely showed off his skills with it. When at his lethal best, Naruto would either be using his sword and wind. The blond often used his head than muscles though. It was something else that he didn't want to impose himself as a very powerful shinobi, even though he was.

He was probably the only one who knew the extent of Naruto's abilities and maybe Jiraiya to some level. Even though he thought the blond had reached another wall in his growth, he could never confidently say that he could defeat Naruto in a serious battle. Maybe later once he has awakened the powers of the Mangekyo Sharingan or when he is using the Eternal Mangekyo.

That was something that he only learned from Naruto. Despite not being Uchiha, the blond was very knowledgeable about the powers of the Sharingan–he knew the tricks.

"The wind flows different in the sea." Naruto said, but that was the only thing he said-he didn't go any further than that. He increased his pace, causing Sasuke to follow him.

 **The Following Day**

 **Kirigakure**

Sasuke flashed in front of Naruto, just above the ground; his right foot flashed through the air as it travelled towards the blond's temple. The Uzumaki saw the attack coming and didn't attempt to block it, he ducked under the kick. Sasuke's Sharingan reacted swiftly to the movement and the Uchiha summoned a lightning blade in the blink of an eye.

Without even looking down at Naruto, he attempted to stab it down towards the blond's back, but Naruto suddenly burst into a murder of crows.

Sasuke didn't disperse his jutsu as he landed down. He tracked Naruto's form a couple of feet away from him–the Uzumaki was standing atop of a small rock.

"Your use of the Sharingan's ability to predict movements is outstanding. A slower person will not have a chance against you if you don't allow your arrogance to get the best of you." Naruto said calmly, hands folded over his chest.

"Your reflexes keep getting better and better." Sasuke said.

The Uchiha suddenly disappeared in a burst of electricity. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right above Naruto, birds chirping in the palm of his right hand. The Uchiha flashed his jutsu straight towards Naruto, but once again, Naruto managed to get out of the way.

This time around, he disappeared along a silent breeze.

Sasuke's jutsu exploded after colliding with the rock Naruto had been standing on. The explosion tore through the rock, shattering it into pieces.

Sasuke added another jutsu whilst the rock was shattering. He poured out lightning chakra into the ground, producing multiple electric bolts around the place Naruto was going to land. A clone appeared in a puff of smoke beside Naruto and got hold of the original before twisting him once in mid-air. It then hurled him straight towards Sasuke like a bullet.

" **Odama Rasengan**." Naruto said as the large ball of chakra formed around the palm of his right hand. Sasuke's Mangekyo came to life as Naruto neared. The blond appeared as if he was going to slam the jutsu against Sasuke's part Susano'o but he suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He appeared right behind the Uchiha, holding his blade in his right hand. The tip of the blade touched Sasuke's ribcage Susano'o from the back. "Extending blade," Naruto said before a wind blade extended from his sword, in blinding speed, invisible to the naked eye. Sasuke only managed to avoid the jutsu through the Sharingan as it had pierced through his Susano'o.

A second later, Sasuke could clearly see the light blue blade extending through his Susano'o from the back to the front. The Uchiha twisted around quickly along with his Susano'o as its size increased. A heavy hand slashed through the air before crashing into the ground in a loud boom–its target had already disappeared.

"Can that jutsu really pierce through anything?" Sasuke asked.

It wasn't the first time Naruto was piercing through his Susano'o with the same jutsu, and every time it was always after contact with it. He has never really used it without contact to the target.

"It doesn't matter, anyway. At least now I know how it works…"

"Just because you know how it works doesn't mean you will know it to deal with it." Naruto said.

Sasuke shrugged. "That was your attack, and should we see which is faster?" the Uchiha said as he prepared a bow and arrow, ready to shoot straight at Naruto.

Naruto dispersed his sword and shook his head. He was not going to have the joy of avoiding Sasuke's arrows from the Susano'o.

"This is enough for the day." He said. "We have got visitors." the blond Uzumaki added calmly, without looking at anywhere to suggest he was seeing the visitors he was talking about.

Sasuke deactivated his Mangekyo before responding. "Well we are in Kiri's territory." The Uchiha said. "The visitors are actually us…"

They were surrounded by a horde of shinobi, but it was to be expected because they had been making some 'noise' in the village's territory. It was only logical that they take measures to handle the situation of the uninvited guests who had chosen to have a sparring session in their backyard.

Sasuke didn't feel the need to glare at anyone over this kind of welcome.

"You're being perceptive." Naruto said. "it is a bit freaky since it is being done by you," the blond Uzumaki said calmly before turning his attention to the Kirigakure shinobi.

Ao stepped out and landed at a safe distance, but close enough for the two Konoha shinobi to hear him without the need to shout. He could tell they were the Leaf's shinobi by their headbands and not to mention the other one was an Uchiha. The Sharingan was paired with the Hidden Leaf and no other village.

"What are Konoha shinobi doing here?" The man demanded in a firm tone.

As it stands, Kiri has no relations with the Hidden Leaf. They would have had something with them but since the Sandaime Hokage refused to help them in their civil war, they hadn't tried anything and have so far been focused on rebuilding their village and making friends with new villages, but not anyone in the Five Great Nations.

Some of those villages thought that Kiri was dead and now the weakest because of its recent bloody history. The village had been truly blessed with many bloodlines, so much more than Konoha had been. There was no other village that had more bloodlines than the Mist, but things happened and they were in this kind of position.

Naruto looked away from Ao–he stared into the sky. "The fact that we have 'put away' our weapons and are not leaking any murderous intent should be an indicator we do not mean any harm… there is no need for such a tone with us…"

"Just because you have put away your weapons doesn't mean that you don't mean to fight, it could be a ploy to get us to drop our guard." Ao responded calmly. "I have lived in this world, long enough to know that shinobi are not the most trusted people. It's never wrong to be safe…"

"You see, Sasuke, this is the kind of world we live in. You cannot just trust what you see and not just everyone because if you do so, you will regret it one day. This is a massive lesson we must all learn. If you trust easily, you are naïve. But this is just the world we live in, so we must know its rules and apply them." Naruto said to the Uchiha.

He then turned to Ao once more and addressed the man. "My earlier response was just to provoke that kind of a response from you." the blond said.

Ao glared: it wasn't funny. Who was this brat anyway? Both him and the Uchiha were powerful, he had been able to tell from watching them fight.

"My name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. He," Naruto started pointing towards Sasuke, "Is Uchiha Sasuke. As you can tell from our headbands, we are shinobi from the Hidden Leaf. We come in peace and I also have a message from the Godaime Hokage."

"We were not aware that Hidden Leaf messengers were coming." Ao said. "We don't know anything about it…"

"Our visit to this land was personal. I have heard some good stories about this village, and that it is very peaceful. I thought it would be a good place to rest for a while. The Godaime then gave me her message to deliver to the Mizukage when she was informed that we were coming to this village." Naruto said taking out the letter from Tsunade.

Ao didn't go towards the blond, he remained standing In the same spot before asking. "You can deliver that message to the Mizukage yourself, but be warned, if you try anything stupid, another letter will be sent to the Godaime Hokage without you."

Naruto shook his head but refrained from saying anything. He could play the part. Besides, he was here to make friends not enemies. It would no good if he insulted the man…

"If we were planning on doing something, we wouldn't have allowed ourselves to be seen so lightly." Sasuke said as he walked towards Naruto. "And if we want to do something to the Mizukage, we'd start with you first and in the next minute, we'd be landing atop of her tower."

A killing intent was quickly directed towards them.

"There is no need for that Sasuke…" Naruto said with a wave of his right hand.

"Maybe you are willing to bend, but I cannot allow him to threaten us like that, especially since we have said that we have a message from our Kage…" Sasuke took the letter Naruto had on his hand before throwing it towards Ao. "This was your proof, but you chose to ignore it in favour of spitting your toothless threats. Now, hurry up and lead us to your Mizukage, we have been travelling by sea for a long time and this place is damn cold." Sasuke said in a firm tone.

Naruto said nothing, he just looked amused. As he said, Sasuke will always be Sasuke.

 **Mizukage Office**

Mei looked up at the two Konoha shinobi walking into her office led by Ao. She had already received the report about Konoha shinobi sparring just outside of her village. She was a nice person, so she didn't order her men to bring them to her by force. But because they were Leaf's shinobi and she was a kind person, she had decided that that would only be done if they refused to cooperate.

Since they were here in peace, she assumed they had cooperated.

She didn't say anything to them as she took the letter from the Godaime Hokage from Ao. She looked at it for a moment before turning her focus on the two fine young men.

"Just because you are fine young men, I won't have you taken away into the interrogation cells." Mei started calmly. "Your Kage would have to forgive me, but you can never be too careful in the shinobi world."

Sasuke wanted to snort at the first words, but he held himself from doing so. He would not have permitted something like that to happen. Even if he had fought back, it wouldn't have caused a war between Kiri and Konoha to occur. Kiri could not afford to go to war and Naruto would pull all THE strings possible to ensure that nothing of such happens.

Mei noted the look on Sasuke's face.

"Do you have something to say?" She asked with a pleasant smile.

"No." Sasuke responded calmly.

"I thought as much." Mei said before turning to Naruto.

Since he walked into the office, his facial expression has not changed, not even the slightest, not even a twitch–he was just observing what was happening around. It was interesting because that mask on his face didn't spell to her as if he was that kind of a person. There was something different from him and the Uchiha.

"So, what possessed both of you to work out just outside of my village?" Mei asked in a dead serious tone.

"The sea was rather cold and we wanted to keep our bodies warm. You should know that the temperatures are very different in the Fire country. But of course, warming up wasn't the only idea." Naruto finally spoke. "I just thought it was best to move our bodies after the long journey through the sea."

Mei stared at the blond for a long minute, searching for something in his eyes, but he gave away nothing. She didn't have to look back at Sasuke to tell that between the two, the blond was the one who was in charge. Their expressions spoke of different things, and just by looking at them, she could tell that they were capable young men.

The Mizukage smiled and held out her right hand. "Mei Terumi, Godaime Mizukage." She introduced herself.

"Please sit down…Ao, you can leave…"

The man nodded before walking out of the office.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Jonin of Konohagakure." Naruto introduced himself to the Mizukage in a pleasant tone; a small smile graced his lips as he added. "A pleasure to meet you…Mizukage-sama…"

"The pleasure is all mine… it's not every day that I get to meet such interesting young men." the Mizukage responded with a smile of her own before turning to Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Jonin like him." Sasuke said.

Mei nodded. "Is this letter…" She said holding out the letter she got from Ao. "the only reason you two came here? Depending on your answer, I will either tell you to stay until you recover or to go back to Konoha and tell the Godaime that I have received her message."

"No, there are other personal reasons for coming here." Naruto responded in a calm tone.

Mei tilted her head to the side, curious about what the blond meant by personal but she didn't ask. She looked down at the letter before opening it. She read through the single passage written in the letter and then eyed Naruto with a calculative look on her face.

"Kirigakure as a lot to offer there are a few places I can recommend if you're looking for pleasure…" the Mizukage said.

Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Aren't you going to ask?" the blond said to the Uchiha, but it was done on purpose.

Sasuke glared at the blond. "I'm not here for that." He said in a hardened tone, "And since when have you been concerned about pleasure?"

Naruto shook his head. "You're telling the Mizukage our secrets." He said. "But I should have known you'd respond like that." The blond said turning to Mei. "If you can make time to talk to me, I would appreciate it, Mizukage-sama. To be honest, aside from other things, I came here because I wanted to speak to you."

"How long do you intend to stay?"

"A couple of days give or take." Naruto said.

"Tomorrow afternoon. For now, you should go around to see the village and we will talk then." the Mizukage said. "Ao will be at your aide if you need anything. For now, I have a lot of work to do…"

They were being dismissed, just like that.

Naruto smiled.

Maybe he would get along just fine with this woman.

 **End of chapter**

 **I have nothing to say but that thanks for the reviews to the last chapter. I'd actually thought that the Anbu scene had been somehow, but I'm glad it was well received.**

 **Thanks to Freestyle 763 for editing this for me.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	27. Chapter 27

Konoha

Tsunade frowned as she stared at the message from Suna again.

She had received it about an hour ago and had acted immediately but she was still looking at it because it represented a major shift in how things would move on from this day onward. It was a major problem that would not just need Konoha to handle but also other villages, but who was going to help her in this quest?

The Akatsuki had attacked Sunagakure and managed to take Gaara away from the village. This only meant that they were now moving towards their agenda.

They were surely going to act again, this was just the start. To think that just two of them could get into the Hidden Village and take away the leader, a Kage for that matter. Gaara might be young, be was still a Kage and a Jinchuriki of the One-tailed beast.

The Slug Princess looked up as Shikaku walked into the office. "Is there something, wrong, Hokage-sama?" The Nara asked before he even sat down.

He could assume that something was indeed wrong. It wasn't often that Tsunade summoned his presence with as much firmness as she had on this occasion. It was safe to say something major had happened for her to call him in such a manner. Well, he was here to serve, so he had no complains whatsoever.

Tsunade folded the message from Suna and leaned back against her chair–her eyes didn't stray away from the Nara clan head as he settled down in front of her desk. "The Akatsuki have started moving. They attacked Suna and managed to get Gaara."

"That is unsettling." Shikaku said. "But now we can say it without any doubt that the organization is after the Bijuu. All Jinchuriki will be targeted and we can use Suna's case as means to prove that the threat we are talking about is real…"

It was hard convincing other villages of the threat the Akatsuki posed when you had no tangible proof that the organization was as dangerous as you said it was. Other villages had not been so keen to join in the party thinking that they could handle a bunch of criminals and no one really wanted to believe that the organization was really after the Jinchuriki.

Of course, this didn't mean that the other villages would heed the warning, but at least they could move with a clear conscious knowing that they had warned the villages about the threat.

They would take steps to correct the problem.

Shikaku was sure that Tsunade would not just wait for the organization to make another attack before going after them. They would take the attack to them. They had to if they were going to stop them from achieving whatever they were planning to achieve through gathering the Bijuus.

"I have sent a team led by Kakashi to handle the situation. The success depends on them, but I picked the strongest team I could. Suna is our ally and Gaara has been honest in his dealings with us. If possible, I want to save him, but also stop the Akatsuki from doing whatever they want to do." the Godaime said in a firm tone.

Shikaku nodded in understanding. "If things have happened in this way, it means we didn't know about it." The Nara said.

If they had known beforehand, they would have warned Gaara and even sent of their men to help guard the village. But they didn't know neither did Suna know about it, because if it had, it would have told them about it since they have been cooperating with regards to the Akatsuki.

"There was no warning." Tsunade said. "I'm surprised that Naruto didn't do anything against the threat though. It would certainly be naïve of me to think that Naruto had nothing to do with Gaara's ascension. Considering that he speaks highly of him, I thought that Naruto would take steps against it."

Shikaku took a thoughtful look for a couple of seconds before responding, "Perhaps." the Nara said. "It is also unfortunate that neither he nor Sasuke are present in the village. Whilst we don't know the extent of their abilities, we know that they are the best in their generation. Granted Naruto said he and Sasuke would have no problem fighting the members of the Akatsuki even though they are S-ranked shinobis, it is safe to say that they would have been useful in such a mission."

Tsunade nodded. "I won't disagree with that, but we must avoid trying to depend on them…We must also allow the others to grow and give them opportunities to prove themselves. My relationship with Naruto is improving, but there is no telling what he will do next if things turn upside down."

Shikaku wanted to tell the Godaime that it was predictable as it would be something that she would not like. He didn't tell her that, he kept his thoughts to himself.

She was the Godaime Hokage, it was better to allow her to work on her own devices and advice when asked; it was less troublesome that way.

"Let us hope that we are able to handle the Akatsuki issue quickly before they make more movements." Shikaku said.

He doubted it would be as simple as saying it though. A group of S-rank shinobi that was something fearsome and worrisome compromised the organization

"I called you here because we need to devise a strategy on how we are going to handle them. I have been trying to get hold of Jiraiya but for now, there has been no success. Since he left the village, I haven't heard anything from him. I think with what has happened to Suna, he will think of coming back once he learns of it." The Godaime said.

"I will send another message to both Kumo and Iwa… Kusagakure will also get one since they too possess a Jinchuriki."

Senju Compound

Main House

Kushina sighed as she settled down on the table within the kitchen. There was a lot of work to be done in this compound. They were planning to move in soon, but they had to make it a little warmer just like their house. She was trying to make it look like their house, but nothing could be the same.

Everything was different here–it could never be the same as their house.

The redhead Uzumaki opened her eyes as Mikoto walked into the kitchen. She raised an eyebrow at seeing the woman. She wasn't surprised that the woman was here–they were friends after all. What was surprising was that she had made it here all alone.

As far as she was concerned, the woman wasn't familiar with the compound, especially with the changes Naruto was making in preparation for their relocation.

"I thought everything was done." Mikoto said as she settled down across the table.

"I want everything to be perfect." Kushina said. "But it is really done. We just need to set up barriers around the compound and this house once Naruto has time. We won't move until Naruto is satisfied with the security."

Mikoto smiled. The blond was adamant when it came to security and he did not compromise. He could compromise about many things but not when it came to security. Protection was everything - it was life. Without being secure, the blond would certainly lose his mind. But when he was secure, he could rest easily, but wasn't it the same for everyone?

Maybe Naruto was a bit excessive in his feelings for security.

Well, he was Naruto.

She would question the motives if things didn't go the Naruto way.

"Perhaps I will hire you to do some barriers for my compound as well. It's a bit problematic when someone can come in and go when they feel like it." Mikoto said with a smile.

However, if she had Kushina do that, wouldn't it be a problem for her and Naruto?

Sasuke would surely want to know everything and with how the barriers operated so that he could know what was happening in the clan grounds. If so, Naruto wouldn't be able to sneak in and out at night. Her son would also know that she has a tendency of leaving in the middle of night for somewhere he doesn't know.

If he became aware of that, he would certainly ask many questions and perhaps even follow her to know where she went at night. That would be a serious problem. It was fine doing the barrier, she just had to find a way around it and who said Sasuke has to know about it, now? She could keep it from him and inform him when the time is right, like when he is about to become clan head.

For now, he was still growing up; he didn't need to know everything.

Mikoto frowned at that thought. With what she was feeling, Sasuke would have to know soon. So did, Kushina. It wasn't the plan, it couldn't be helped.

"You should." Kushina said. "How have you been though? We haven't had time together in the past weeks. I'm always there and there and you have your clan to worry about…"

Kushina didn't believe that was the reason they had not been getting together much more regularly though. There was something else; she just couldn't place a finger on it.

"A lot has been happening in the past weeks." Mikoto said.

She wasn't going to tell the woman that it was a little difficult facing her when she knew she sleeping with her son. It wasn't just that only, but Kushina's reaction to the knowledge of it. She just didn't want to let slip of anything. She was still thinking of how she was going to go about it if the woman found out. At the moment, she could not give Kushina a satisfying reason that would calm her down.

The woman was very protective of Naruto against some things.

"But I have been well. You seem fine yourself." Mikoto added after a few moments. "Yugao not with you today? With Naruto away, I thought she'd be behind you like your shadow…"

Kushina smiled, a little amused. "That is something of the past. It reminds me of Naruto." She said. "These days he can go around without thinking of returning back to his mother in blinding speed. I'm happy that he is growing."

"Growth is important." Mikoto said with a nod. "I think he is able to leave now because he knows you're safe in the village. Back then, there was always someone who wanted to try something so these days, it is a lot better since they no longer hate you."

Kushina nodded. "Things have changed, huh? Well, I have always believed that they would change. I guess I must also thank the Sandaime Hokage. It was his scheming that led to Naruto's actions during the invasion," the Uzumaki said. "I'm happy with the change on my son…"

She paused and gave Mikoto a strange look. "Does it make me a bad person that I know about how my son behaves and yet I don't go to him and condemn it? I don't let what he does bother me, I have accepted it as what my son is. It doesn't worry me anymore as it used it when I used to try all my best to just ignore that part of him."

Mikoto smiled. "It makes you a loving, mother, Kushina," the Uchiha said. "You know Naruto; you know that your son will always do some things but there are some barriers he will not cross because he is your son and you're still alive. As it stands, you're his mental check…" She tilted her head to the side. "I don't suppose you know why he went to Kiri, do you? He isn't really forthcoming in this kind of things…"

"I didn't think you were interested." Kushina said with a raised brow. "But I guess since it involves your son, you have to. And on this occasion, he left with him…" Kushina stated in a calm tone. "I don't bother myself with the details and he doesn't bother me with them. Nevertheless, he said the main objective was to make the Mizukage a friend of his and if possible a friend of Konoha."

So, that was what he meant by making things personal with the Mizukage. Mikoto grew curious. She was a lot more interested in what type of a person the woman was. Her character would determine the kind of relationship Naruto would have with her. If she was likeable and someone he could consider a human. If that was the case, it would scare her.

"I see." Mikoto said in thought. "He is making friends, huh?"

Kushina smiled. "Not the kind of friends you'd want for your child, but friends nonetheless." the Uzumaki said. "Speaking of friends…Naruto is going to make Yugao a special friend…"

She knew it was going to end up like that. Naruto didn't just jump into bed and then say no, he had made a mistake. No, he would think about marrying Yugao. Perhaps not out of love, but because he wants to keep her in the family and he would do his best to keep her happy because he does need her.

It didn't please her having those thoughts, but it was the reality that she had to face and live with.

"A special friend?" Mikoto asked, surprised. "How sure are you?"

"Not a doubt." Kushina said with a smile. "Yugao is mature and can keep up with Naruto. I have known her and I think things will work well. We are already a family, and I will be happy to start thinking about having grandchildren. I still think Naruto is a little too young for that…" She paused and nodded to herself. "He is still young…"

'You're going to have a grandchild soon' Mikoto thought, but she didn't allow her thoughts to show.

"You seem happy about this." Mikoto said with a smile, a rather thin smile. "Naruto never mentioned this to me when we last spoke…How long have you known about this?"

"I caught them in the act… I think something has been happening for a while now." Kushina said in a thoughtful tone. "How is your son doing?"

"Everything that is Sasuke." Mikoto said standing up.

She was a little disappointed that Kushina had decided to cut it short about Yugao but she could not push things. She didn't want to raise any questions that would put her in a difficult position.

If Naruto was hiding this thing with Yugao, then it was something not done to keep their relationship hidden and with the way that woman looked at her, it was safe to say that she knew about them.

For a moment, Mikoto thought of putting the issue aside as Naruto doing it just to keep the woman quiet about their relationship but the glaring fact that he kept it a secret made it difficult for her to accept the reasoning.

"You leaving already?"

Mikoto smiled. "I was just here to check on you… I will make some time for us to be together and talk a bit more. For now, I must head back to the compound."

Kirigakure

Mei was sitting inside her office with lunch prepared atop of her desk. She could not go out because there was a lot of work that needed to be done. It was tough being Mizukage but this was something that she had to take on for the sake of her village. If she didn't work the extra hours and pushed herself to her limits, Kiri would not continue on the path it has been on since the civil war ended a couple of years ago.

Naruto was sitting across her, eating quietly.

The blond wasn't saying much to her, and he wasn't giving her any glances. He may be young, but he was still a male and that came with the urges. Well, she could appreciate a well-mannered young man.

He had a way about things, didn't he?

Just from his clothing, to how he walked–he almost treated himself as if he was someone from an old noble family, if those still existed.

Perhaps that only said he was of class.

"I thought you'd be with Sasuke when you came here." Mei said, eyeing the blond curiously.

Naruto looked up from his plate and stared at the Mizukage for a few moments.

This kind of game he played when he was enjoying a game of shogi. How he missed that mental game. It was always interesting with the Sandaime because they played a high stakes game. With Shikamaru it was always about the Nara trying to find out more about him because most of the time he played the game, it paralleled how he made decisions in real life.

"Do you play, Shogi, Mizukage-sama?" The blond asked instead of answering the questions. "Or perhaps even cards. Cards are especially a good exercise learning how to keep a poker face and reading facial expression from people."

Mei was slightly surprised by the question but she didn't show it in her expression. She just responded in a calm tone, "No…I have never played. I have never even gotten the chance to play any because of my work. Before I became Mizukage, I was leading the rebels against a bloodthirsty Yagura who threatened to destroy this village."

Naruto nodded. "Kiri was once famous for its bloodlines and not to mention the Seven Swordsman." The blond said. "I came across one of them whilst I was a genin by the way…Zabuza was his name and he had a young bloodline holder with him. I believe from the Yukimaru clan. Unfortunately, they all died…" The blond paused to allow the Mizukage time to absorb the words.

"I did manage to get the sword from Zabuza though. Humans have this thing of trying to reclaim past glories… it isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just shows you how much we cling onto our past…"

Mei stared at the blond for a long minute before responding. He was an interesting person, that was for sure and he wasn't talking just nonsense. "And I suppose you brought it with you as a sign of what...?"

Naruto shook his head. "I brought it here because I thought it was a waste to leave in beside the bones of a dead man…" The blond said with mild indifference before going back to her earlier question.

"Sasuke is busy observing the village. I sometimes treat him like a child and exclude him from certain conversation which isn't fair…but I just can't help myself."

"Does he know you treat him like that?"

"Of course, he isn't stupid." Naruto said. "He was hailed as genius in our academy class."

"And you?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not a genius…In the academy; I was never interested in becoming the best. I saw the academy as a waste of time because it taught me nothing I didn't already know." The blond said. "What I am is a dedicated and passionate person…To my course…"

Mei nodded, she wasn't going to be the judge and wasn't going to pass any thoughts; she didn't know the blond, but she hoped to know him. He was an interesting person and the letter she had received from Tsunade had made her even more curious about him.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Naruto straightened up slightly and looked straight at the Godaime Mizukage. "I'm curious about what the Godaime said to you in the letter. You only spent a couple of seconds on it, so I assume there were only a handful of words within it."

Mei tilted her head to the side. "What if I only read the first words that said 'Don't read in Naruto's presence' and then closed it?"

Naruto smiled. "That is a compelling argument." The blond said. "And it would certainly make you curious, wouldn't it?"

Mei nodded. "Yes… I'm already curious. Your conduct since you appeared before me has been curious. Of course, it could be a play. You can never trust anything you see in this world. We are taught to be deceitful when we are still young, and of course, when you trust someone you lose that a bit. Naturally, when people betray you, it becomes literal."

"A rather practical world we live in, huh?" Naruto said. "But it is a different story when it comes to civilian life. They don't live in the same world as we do. Our rules are different to theirs…" He paused. "I guess you're not going to answer my question…Is it okay if I simply call you, Mei-san?"

"Mei is just fine."

"Mei, it is then." Naruto said. "I don't make a lot of friends in my life, but when I do, the people have to possess certain qualities that make them human. Most people are just living but their actions don't make them human. I dislike such people. I have heard that you're a woman of strong morals and want nothing but peace for your people. I guess what you have seen in this land so far makes that desire real and strong. I cannot say I have seen as much as you have but I have seen a couple of things.

What I have seen makes me wish for the world to have a bit of order and justice, if I can use the word. Kages are disconnected from each other; everyone is minding their own business, leaving gaps in the middle. These gaps give chances for the 'corrupt' seeds to have breathing spaces. When you afford that space, the seeds will grow and destabilize things, pulling those around it. My view is that for such 'seeds' to be removed, there must be a connection in the Elemental Nations. The type of connection that promotes stability based on cooperation rather than 'forces' of power because the moment those are removed, we lose that stability. A network of communication needs to be established for the Nations to connect."

Mei was silent for about a minute.

"Why do you desire something like that?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Naruto asked with a smile. Mei nodded, "It is because if this world goes into war, a darker side of me will break out with just one purpose…"

Mei narrowed her eyes; she could tell that the blond didn't want the balance for very noble reasons. There was no kindness and love for the world that made him desire to have balance–it was all for himself. There was no power hunger in his eyes that made her fear that he just wanted to manipulate the world to form an image of his liking.

He was a different person from her, from everyone she has met. Even so, she could say that the desire to bring stability that would ensure that there are no wars was real. It was so real that it burnt even her desires. AT the same time, the desire revealed something she didn't like–the darkness in him.

If anything, Mei could say the blond didn't want to turn evil. he wanted to remain pure, but if the world forced him, he would turn to the other side. What did this mean to his personality, his character? It was all a bit complex and curious.

The Mizukage wanted to know more, she wanted to know what made him like that.

How he was able to control that darkness in him?

"What purpose?" Mei asked, but she knew the answer to the question.

"With what I have said, you should have an answer." Naruto said calmly.

Mei nodded and breathed in before leaning against her chair. "Do you resent war that much?"

Naruto shook his head lightly. "This might be contradictory, but I have nothing against a war itself. The reasons behind the war are what I dislike. Mostly it is some petty reasons that don't even matter and could have been handled quickly without needless bloodshed. Over the use of weapons to solve matters, I prefer opening my mouth and using my head. But of course, there are those situations you're forced to lift your hands."

Not all the reasons, but he was by no means lying to the Mizukage.

A war would certainly give him an excuse to reduce the population of this world to make it a lot more manageable.

Yes, he would allow the Kyubi to get loose and would use every means necessary to reduce the other Great Nations to former Great nations. He could do that, but he understood what something like that would paint over his shoulders. He would become a demon and people would spit at the mention of his name.

He would have enemies left and right and people would not stop at anything to make him suffer. Naturally, that led back to his mother. she would be in constant danger from people, she would be forced to remain within the Hidden Leaf or any place they have chosen to live with things with Konoha turn to the left.

That was something he didn't want for his mother.

No, Naruto wanted her to be free and happy Just as she wished for him.

"For a young man, you surely are interesting." The Mizukage said. "I find myself drawn to learning more about you, but I can't take myself that far. I'm still a Kage of this village and comes with responsibilities. I wish not to do something reckless that will endanger this village. Nevertheless, what you want here isn't anything reckless, but cooperation, a joining of the dots." The redhead smiled. "You prefer to talk, huh? I won't be manipulated into doing anything I don't want."

"What gives you that impression that I am after that?" Naruto asked quietly. "If my purpose had been that, I would have come to you in a different way. I've to be like this because I know that some 'relationships' are kept strong by the truth and a bond."

"That may be true, but people who prefer smooth talking into things are often manipulative snakes who wear masks to fool their prey," Mei said in a hardened tone. She then sighed. "This thing could work for me, but I will discuss it with your Godaime Hokage. You started it, but I will end it with your leader. She can come here any time she pleases…Of course, if you like you can come with her."

Naruto was silent for about a minute. "That is fine with me." The blond Uzumaki said. "I do hope that when we do come back here, we will have some fruitful conversation. I'm still going to be here for two days at least. I have found this environment to be a bit refreshing."

Mei smiled. "Please enjoy your stay, but I do hope to have one more conversation before you leave…"

Konoha

Yugao found herself pressed against a wall with a very stern faced Mikoto lording over her. She had been walking peacefully within the streets of the Hidden Leaf – she had been looking for some furniture for the Senju Compound for Kushina.

Mikoto had come out of nowhere and requested to speak to her, without even waiting for her response; the Uchiha had dragged her away into an alley.

The former Anbu had no doubt that it had something to do with Naruto. Kushina must have told her about it. This wasn't anything less than what she had anticipated. The woman was possessive of Naruto and she had been waiting for him to grow up so that she could make him a man, her man, her own personal man that she apparently didn't want to share with anyone.

Yugao smiled at the woman.

"Mikoto-san." She started calmly. "This is a lovely surprise."

Mikoto narrowed her eyes thinly, "What are you playing at Yugao? I know you are aware about Naruto and me. You have known for quite some time now, but I have always thought that Naruto had it covered. Is this something to do with him getting a girl to hide my relationship with him?"

That was something that they had discussed but she had made it clear that she would have to approve the person first, Naruto didn't have to go behind her with it. It didn't even have to include his mother because if it did, it was something that was going to be serious.

She didn't even want Yugao of all people.

Naruto could not simply discard her when she was of no value anymore. This woman was an important piece to the Uzumaki and given her relationship with Kushina, Naruto would not do anything to endanger that relationship and that gave her some fears.

"I'm not playing at anything." Yugao responded with a slight shake of her head. "Do you really think that Naruto would do that to me?"

She was his trusted mother's protector, if he did anything bad to her, he would have to be worried about his mother all over again and think of a new way to protect her. He would not even afford himself the time to leave the village for longer periods as he would be afraid for his mother's safety. He was okay now because if something happens, she would do something or call him back if she was failing.

Mikoto stepped away from Yugao and calmed herself. "It appears this thing between you and him is true…But I wonder why Naruto is keeping it a secret from me. He didn't mention anything when we last spoke." The Uchiha said to herself more than to Yugao. "How serious are you?"

Yugao tilted her head to the side as she adopted a thoughtful look on her face. "Well, his mother said that unless he thinks of marrying me, he can't start a relationship."

Mikoto frowned, if that happened, she was going to be the side woman, she would be fornicating with the blond when she was the one who made him a man before this woman came along. it really left a bitter taste in Mikoto's mouth.

She could not think of getting married to Naruto–Kushina would not allow it and it would not be good for her clan.

But if Naruto married Yugao, there was a chance that he would discard her, just like that.

Well given recent developments in her body, she really didn't to worry. She just frowned at the thought of using it to keep Naruto by her side.

She focused on Yugao once more. "So you're saying that you are not in relationship with him and that there is a chance he might not even start it. Well, that is at least good news…" She managed to smile at that.

Maybe if she told him, he would only focus on her.

"I wouldn't put my hope in something like that." Yugao said. "You should know better. Naruto doesn't make moves on impulses. If he is going to do something, he will do it and I'm not just going to allow him to walk away after everything."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm interested." Yugao said but she didn't add Naruto's name. "Unlike you, I don't have to hide my relationship with him. I can give him a family that his mother desires for him."

Yugao knew she was stepping out of line, but she felt she had to say it because she didn't see a future in Mikoto's relationship with Naruto. They were not going to go anywhere and it would not be good for Naruto. He needed someone who could support him and turn him into a path that would bring him happiness. Wasn't it just going to end between the sheets if he continued with Mikoto?

Besides that, it was best they ended it before Kushina found out about it. She was okay with her, but if she realized that Mikoto was also involved, there would be trouble and it would not just be with Mikoto but with Naruto as well. Yugao wasn't going to tell the woman to end things with Naruto, no, that was something she had to think for herself.

Mikoto smiled a bitter smile that made Yugao regret what she had said. "I only wanted to confirm. Have a good day, Yugao."

Maybe she shouldn't have said all that.

If anything, Mikoto looked saddened by what she had said. It was almost as if she wanted something much more than just sex with Naruto. Yugao couldn't bring herself to accept it, but as the woman walked away from her, it became something of a glaring realization that troubled her greatly.

What was she going to about this?

And how was she even going to interact with the woman the next time they meet?

Mikoto." Yugao called. When the Uchiha stopped, she spoke again. "I'm sorry. I should not have said that."

Mikoto shook her head. "You are correct, I wont get married to Naruto because his mother will not allow. But my relationship with him wont remain a secret for too long. And I can give him a family."

Yugao narrowed her eyes. "What us that supposed to mean?"

Mikoto smiled. "I'm just stating the reality."

Later that Day

"I thought you were going to take your sweet time to get back." Tsunade said the moment Jiraiya appeared in her voice in his usual fashion.

There were matters that needed to be dealt with and the Sannin was needed.

She did depend on his Intel and his counsel in other matters regarding the village's security. With the Akatsuki out in the loose, it was important that they deal with it because if they were not handled, eventually they were going to come knocking at the Leaf's doors looking for Naruto so they can take the Kyubi away from him.

Tsunade was not going to suggest that they throw away Naruto just to avoid that danger – a choice like that would be wrong and a colossal blunder that she would live to regret.

The Akatsuki would surely do something dangerous once they have captured all Jinchurikis and it would threaten the balance of the Elemental Nations and drive them towards the brink of another war or something bloody.

It would not be just that only, but Naruto would be looking at them with a vengeful eye. Granted what she knew about him, making an enemy out of him would not be the wise decision. It wasn't to say she would not be able to handle him, but it would come at a cost. Tsunade would rather avoid such a situation at all costs.

"And miss your sweet face?" Jiraiya responded with a grin. "You know I can't away from you for too long, hime."

Tsunade shook her head. Jiraiya's love for her was something that she always ignored. She has known for a long time, but nothing was going to come out of it. The Toad Sage was old enough to know that, yet he has continued to love her.

Did it really have to come to that point or did she just not want to be involved with anyone?

The Slug Princess shook her head; this was something she didn't need to think about.

"Be serious, pervert." the Godaime snapped sternly. "You should know already that the Akatsuki has begun to move and managed to get the One-tails."

Jiraiya lost his grin and adopted a more serious mask on his face. "I'm aware of that. We should step up in our efforts to contact other Kages. I will head to Iwagakure. I don't think it will be safe for someone like Naruto to go to that village. There are bound to be frictions and you don't want him opening his mouth there. Since he knows that they are likely to hold some resentment towards him, he won't hold back.

It will be better to send him to Kumogakure. The Raikage can be dismissive but I let us hope that Naruto can get to him and make him listen. If not, I hope he has better security to protect his Jinchuriki. At the same time, we cannot allow Naruto to move freely because if they see a chance, they will take it."

Tsunade nodded. "Naruto isn't in the village at the moment. He went to Kiri but he is with Sasuke… I'm sure the two of them can manage. I will summon Sai and get him to send a message to Naruto about his new mission…" She paused. "When will you depart?"

"Early morning." Jiraiya said. "I need to rest a bit in a hot spring before going in another journey."

"You mean you have to peep on the women of Konoha first." Tsunade corrected the Sannin with mild anger in her tone.

Two Days Later

Naruto and Sasuke were hopping on trees as they travelled towards Konoha when the former suddenly came to a halt. The Uzumaki held out his right hand and a bird landed on it. Naruto took out the small scroll on it and opened it. his eyes flashed through its contents for about a minute before nodding his head.

Seeing that there was no message for replay, the bird burst into black ink.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke demanded from Naruto.

"A change of plans: the Akatsuki attacked Sunagakure and have managed to get their hands on the first Bijuu. I have to go to Kumogakure and warn the Raikage about it. It is likely that they will go after Kumo's Jinchuriki next." Naruto responded calmly. "You can return to Konoha; I will deal with this alone."

The message had said that Tsunade wanted him to go with Sasuke for safe measures, but Naruto wasn't going to follow that 'suggestion'. He didn't need Sasuke to have his back to know that he was safe.

Sure, the Uchiha was strong, but he could do without him. Besides, this week alone with the raven-haired was enough, he did not need to spend more days with him, lest he end up smacking him straight in the face with the back of his left hand.

"You don't sound surprised that they attacked and managed to take Gaara." Sasuke said calmly.

Why would he be surprised?

He had known that they were going to attack the Jinchuriki. He needed to know what they wanted to do with the Bijuus and he could not know without Gaara's sacrifice. As long as the Kazekage was still alive, nothing else was going to be a problem.

The Bijuu he had housed wasn't powerful enough to cause him worry.

"Gaara is still alive, there shouldn't be a problem." Naruto said a bit dismissively. "I will see you back at Konoha."

"I'm coming with." Sasuke said, jumping onto the same tree branch as Naruto.

"No, you're not." Naruto responded in a firm tone.

"I'm going with you whether you like it or not."

Naruto faced Sasuke with an expressionless mask on his face, and then spoke in a dead cold tone.

"Sasuke, it has become quite clear that your power is starting to get to your head. I have praised you for your growth, but you're still an arrogant child. Do not think that because you have the Mangekyo I cannot smack you into the ground. Don't misunderstand my tolerance as a sign of fear. I told your brother that I would kill him if he crossed a line, do you think I will fear you, a mere Uchiha brat that I trained?"

Sasuke glared, he didn't fear the cold tone Naruto was using. He didn't like it, though.

They were of the same age and he was certain that the blond could not do as he used to do when they were still young. He had become strong, he was confident and there was no way to prove anything if Naruto didn't fight him seriously with the intent to break him.

"Maybe not, but I'd like to see you attempt that." the Uchiha said challengingly.

In a single step, Naruto's right foot was moving into the air, rushing towards Sasuke's face with his left foot rooted to the tree branch for balance. The Uchiha saw the attack and crouched down in the blink of an eye.

Sasuke leapt away from the tree branch, trying to create some distance between him and Naruto.

When his feet were just inches away from landing on a tree branch, it was suddenly cut off, forcing Sasuke to crash down, but he quickly regained his composure to land on both his feet.

"Go back home, Sasuke."

Sunagakure

Gaara was sitting behind his desk, carrying the heavy weight of the Hidden Sand on his shoulders. He had only returned from being captured by the Akatsuki. No that was inaccurate; he was rescued rather.

Although he had met with Death and some intolerable pain when they were releasing Shukaku from him, he was still here, back to his beloved village as its Kage.

It had come with a sacrifice though, but he wasn't going to allow the sacrifice to go to waste.

"Are you not thinking too hard, Gaara?" Temari asked in a calm tone, staring straight at her brother.

He has been keeping things to his mind since he came back and it was worrying her that he was perhaps thinking too deep. There was a lot that happened in his capture and that included meeting death. Still, she was there for him, his family was here for him and Baki was here. They could help if there was something troubling him. Then again, her brother tended to keep things to himself.

Gaara's eyes went towards his sister for a few moments before he stared into the empty space between them as he responded.

"How is Kankuro doing?" the former Jinchuriki asked, opting against responding to Temari's question.

"He is fine. Sakura's antidote has worked, but he isn't hundred percent fine. He should be up and running in a couple of days." Temari responded. "I must also leave for Konoha tomorrow. There are still things we must finalise in our diplomatic talks."

Gaara nodded. He had to thank Konoha's efforts in their rescue. Although it was Chiyo who ended up saving his life, he could not take anything for granted. The Leaf had sent its best to try to rescue him and his brother. He had been told that if not for Sakura, his brother might have died. He was happy with that and would express his gratitude to Tsunade when he does go to the Leaf.

"You will express my gratitude to Konoha." Gaara said.

Temari nodded. "Anything to Naruto? Why he wasn't even on the rescue team?"

She was really questioning the motives of the blond. It was true that he has been nothing but fair to them since they met and he did help her in many ways than one, but since the invasion, he has been a bit indifferent towards them.

He no longer tried and looked as if he was plotting something.

He didn't even want to deal with her, but left Shikamaru to talk to her.

Maybe she would question him about it when she does reach Konoha.

She was always a guest in the Uzumaki house when she goes there anyway. Kushina would always welcome her because despite everything, the woman still treated her as her daughter, and Temari liked that.

It was one of the reasons she loved going to the Hidden Leaf.

"He was not in Konoha when they received the message. From what Kakashi said, he went to Kiri along with Sasuke." the Godaime Kazekage responded in a blank tone. "But if you do find him, tell him that I want to speak with him. I think there is a lot that we must discuss."

"I will wait if he's not there; I also want to have a word with him." Temari said. "We have been cautious in dealing with him, but I'm tired of it."

"Be careful with what you say, Temari." Gaara cautioned.

The blonde shrugged. "There is nothing to worry about. It isn't like Naruto is going to attack me right in front of his mother and I think she will agree with some of the things I'd like to say to him."

Gaara shook his head. "Just don't take it too far."

Temari waved her right hand dismissively before standing up. As she walked out of the office, Baki walked in. it was as if the man had been waiting for her to leave before he could come in. The Jonin didn't sit before he started talking,

"How are you doing without the One-tail inside of you? Your control over sand, I mean. We have always assumed that it was an ability that was granted to you by the Bijuu."

It would be a massive loss if Gaara has lost the ability.

That was his only power and without it, he would become just a normal person. Many would question his rule. Certainly, if he could no longer command the Sand, he would not be powerful enough to be considered a Kage. Power wasn't what has made Gaara lead this village smoothly up to so far nevertheless.

So perhaps something could be worked out.

"I have not lost my ability." Gaara said calmly. "It is strange but that isn't something we can focus on at the moment. The Akatsuki didn't do any damage to the village, so we cannot worry about any of that."

"That was thanks to you for protecting the village." Baki said in a firm tone. "I'm sure the villagers are aware of it by now."

Gaara merely nodded.

He hadn't done it for praise or for the villagers to love him more. He had done what he did because he was the leader of the Sand village and when he took the mantle of Kazekage, he had sworn to protect this village and its people even at the cost of his own life.

"Is there anything that I must know? We must resume normal business. For now the Akatsuki won't be coming to us, but will be going after other villages with Jinchurikis. We don't know what will happen afterwards, but it would be helpful we tried to find out more about their motives. Did you receive anything from Naruto?"

The man shook his head. "It would be best if we leave him out of our business. He is a Leaf shinobi and we cannot depend on him on anything. We will be killing ourselves if we do so. I'm not saying you must not ask for his help when it is needed, but I am saying that we must not become dependent on him or else we run the risk of seeing him controlling things in this village."

"We have not depended on Naruto, Baki." Gaara said. "We have been doing things on our own. True, it was by Naruto's hand that I ascended to the office, but I'm still loyal to this village and its people. We have resources and we will use them for this village. Naruto will be helpful in situations only he can help. Besides, he hasn't been saying with regards to the village anyway."

"But that doesn't mean he won't." Baki said.

"It won't come to that." Gaara said. "Even if it does, do you think I will just roll over? I have a lot to thank Naruto and his mother, but this is still my village. I will not betray it. That is something that even Naruto can understand, his mother especially."

Konoha

Uchiha Compound

Mikoto wasn't expecting Sasuke to be back home so soon after Tsunade gave her the message that he was supposed to go with Naruto to Kumogakure on a mission. What even surprised her was that he didn't look particularly happy. the expression on his face gave it all away. Maybe she could spot it quickly because she was his mother–she had carried him for nine months and had fed him when he was little.

But the fact that he was back could mean that Naruto was also back. she needed to speak to the blond about his thing with Yugao and their relationship.

She simply could not allow things to slip through her fingers so easily.

Life was something else, wasn't it?

A few days ago she didn't have this fear–everything was well. She was only worried about keeping the relationship secret, but now she had to worry about it ending. Naruto wouldn't do something like that to her, would he? After everything he has done, it would be rather heartless of him, but he was capable of doing it, wasn't he?

Mikoto shook her head and focused on Sasuke, she had to focus on her son at the moment.

Naruto wasn't going to disappear tomorrow, if he had returned to the village along with her son.

"You don't look well." Mikoto said.

Sasuke sat down on a couch, just away from his mother before responding.

"I nearly had a fight with Naruto."

If things had moved any different, they may have had a full blown out battle that would have torn the ground apart and someone would have gotten hurt. Sasuke didn't think even if something like that had happened, it would have changed their relationship. Naruto more or less bullied him when they were younger and he still stayed close.

These days, the blond Uzumaki could not bully him as he used to and that was the only difference between now and then.

"What did you do?" Mikoto asked curiously.

Sasuke glared at his mother heatedly. "Why do you automatically assume that I'm the one at fault?" The Uchiha demanded.

Mikoto wanted to say that Naruto was less likely to say the wrong things that would piss either off to the point where they have to fight to resolve the differences, but she didn't want to wound her son's pride and so she waved her hands in a defensive manner.

"Let me rephrase that." She said with a smile. "What did Naruto say to you to get you so mad you felt you needed to fight him?"

Sasuke's glare intensified for a second before he shook his head. He wasn't going to say that he had caused the problem, it was Naruto's fault. "Naruto didn't want to go to Kumogakure with me, so I told him that I was going to go whether he liked it or not and that there was nothing he could do about that."

Mikoto blinked. Sasuke had to know that Naruto didn't like being forced to do things, he did things when they were convenient for him at least. "I doubt something like that could have caused things to get dangerous."

Sasuke was silent for a few moments before responding. "Recently, I have made a few demands and Naruto has been permitting it. That day, he called it tolerance." the Uchiha said with a frown. "I felt a bit pissed off by it…Still am. I want him to treat me like a partner not a tool."

Mikoto tilted her head to the side, giving Sasuke a strange look. "You're going to have to start owing up to that. Have you considered why Naruto never lets you in on his plans?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Because he thinks I'm a child?"

Mikoto shook her head, "Even without asking I can tell. I'm your mother, I should know you and I can tell you that you don't think like him. You're not like him. And you always allow your emotions to get the best of you. I don't think that is something that can be solved quickly but you can stand up, Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned.

"How did things go in Kiri anyway?"

"My end was fine; I can have no complaints." Sasuke said. "I assume everything went well with Naruto and the Mizukage…They did have lunch and dinner at her house before we left. He didn't seem to have any complaints, though." the Uchiha said before tilting his head to the side. "Is something wrong, mother?"

Mikoto blinked before shaking her head. "No; all is well, Sasuke."

Kumogakure

Naruto looked around the office of the Raikage; it was neat and around the walls, there was weight lifting equipment.

Well, this was the Yondaime Raikage, a muscled man. He surely did train his body a lot. But that was given since the man was a taijutsu specialist. People like him needed to keep their bodies in in top condition in order to be at their best when they fight a battle.

The Uzumaki looked at the Raikage.

The man was of a huge stature; it was certain that he knew how to pack a punch. Raikage's have so been known for their speed and reliance on Taijutsu. The stories of the Sandaime Raikage were the ones Naruto found to be truly remarkable. He was the man who is said to have faced off against the eight tails to a draw as neither could harm each other?

Not only that, but he faced off against 10 000 enemy shinobi in a bid to allow his people to survive.

That was something amazing, but of course, Naruto had no desire for such heroics.

Well, unless it was for his mother. At the same time, he would have to make sure that he survives for his mother's sake. She would certainly be lost without her precious son.

A looked at the blond Uzumaki before speaking. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Minato's son…"

Naruto nodded. "In the flesh."

He wasn't surprised about it.

Konoha already knew about it since the Sandaime made a spectacle about it. If Konoha as a whole knew, then the other villages were likely to know. This was the reason he didn't even want to go to Iwagakure. The village did hold resentment towards his father – it wasn't being presumptuous to think that, that hatred would be thrown at him as the man's son.

It was how humans operated.

"I see." The man said in a thoughtful tone. "Then, what does a Konoha shinobi want in my village?"

"I came to deliver a warning about the Akatsuki…I'm sure you have heard of them. But I will say it anyway; they are a group of S-ranked missing-nins who are hunting down Jinchuriki for their Bijuu. Konoha does not know for what purpose but we don't think it is any good." The blond stated. "They have already attacked Sunagakure and have taken its Bijuu. We think that they will likely target your Jinchuriki next."

The Yondaime Raikage scoffed. "Then what do you want?"

"Cooperation in dealing with them." Naruto said.

"I saw Tsunade's letter." The Man said. "Sunagakure has and will always be the weakest village out of the Great Nations and I have heard that its Kage is just a boy. You cannot tell me to be concerned if they managed to get to him. It doesn't prove to me that they are powerful. Besides, my Jinchurikis are powerful enough to defend themselves against a bunch of criminals. Thanks for the warning, but Kumo will handle them if they come to us. We don't need to cooperate with any other village to handle a handful of criminals on the loose."

"Is that what you believe, Raikage?"

"If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't be saying it." A said in a dismissive tone.

"Be sure you're not thinking with your oversized muscles rather than your head, Raikage, because if not, you will lose this battle." Naruto said in a strong tone.

For a second, the blond thought of insulting the man, but he opted against it.

A narrowed his eyes dangerously. "If you apologize now and walk away, I will forget you ever said that."

Naruto turned away from the man as he spoke. "What a waste of time. I should have just gone back home than attempt this." The blond Uzumaki said before disappearing via gusts of winds.

Konoha

Naruto's House

It was night by the time Naruto returned home; he was surprised when he got back to find his mother sitting with Temari and Yugao sitting room. He was not expecting the Sand blonde to be present at his house. Nevertheless, given what occurred to her brother, it was safe to say she had come to Konoha for some business.

Still, he wasn't looking forward to speaking to her.

"Oh, you're back." Kushina said to Naruto as he came up to them and settled down on the single couch.

"For about a few minutes now." Yugao said. "He first checked the barriers around the house to see if something was amiss." The former Anbu added.

She had sensed him a couple of minutes well. She wasn't surprised really, it was something like Naruto.

"I didn't take much time in Kumo." Naruto said to his mother, opting to ignore Yugao's comment. "How was your stay mother?"

"It was Fine: just very busy." Kushina said. "You have a guest, aren't you going to greet her?"

Naruto turned to face Temari.

He hasn't really observed her since she has grown from being the girl who used to worry more about her role as the Kazekage only daughter and caring for her brothers. Perhaps those days he really considered things with her. Yes, her father had still been alive and he did think about the possibility to marrying her, as it was something that his mother had agreed to.

Since the invasion by Sunagakure and the Sound, everything did change.

To be honest, he had stopped caring for the Sand siblings. They were not at fault with what happened.

Kankuro had known, but that was something else.

His mother still cared for the Sand siblings as her children, that hasn't changed. It was not that she was naïve; she just saw past what happened and did not fault them.

He had his issues.

Naruto shook his head slightly and smiled at the blonde sister of the Kazekage. "Temari." He said.

"Naruto." Temari acknowledged. "Can I speak to you?"

"Can it wait?" Naruto was quick to respond. "I only just returned from a week long journey across the Elemental Nations. I'd like to relax a bit…" and he wanted to sit with his mother a bit because a part of him had missed her. Most times when he went away, he felt the need to make up for that time he was away from her presence.

"I have to leave early morning tomorrow. I was supposed to have left today, but I wanted to wait for you so that we could speak." Temari said.

"Speak to her, Naruto." Kushina said in a firm tone. She stood up and yawned. "I will talk to you tomorrow. I had a busy day moving most things to the Senju compound…" she walked up to her son and planted a soft kiss on his head. "I'm happy you came back safely…"

Naruto looked at Yugao for a moment: he wanted to speak with her, but that would have to wait, as he had to deal with Temari.

He stood up.

"Follow me." He said to the sister of the Kazekage.

Temari slowly followed Naruto towards his study. The blond waited for her to enter before showing her where to sit and then closed the door before he walked over to settle behind the desk. He looked at her calmly with a mask she could not define what it represented.

"I can tell that you're coming to me with a different attitude before you even say anything. Well, I have always believed that you're a strong willed person with a strong personality. I would certainly not have wasted my time with you back then if I believed that you were a weak minded person." Naruto said before asking.

"What do you want to talk to me about, Temari?"

"Our marriage isn't going to happen, I'm certain of that now. I will speak to Tsunade to cancel the agreement, on your approval…" Temari stated. "But that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. We need to talk about your role in Sunagakure. I'm sure you know already about what happened to my brother, and now there are more challenges that he is facing."

Naruto didn't admit to knowing anything. "What do you mean by my role in Suna? I'm a Konoha shinobi…"

"I didn't dispute that." Temari said firmly. "My brother says you had something to do with the former village's council slaughter and recommended to Baku that he be made Kazekage. I can guess for what reason. What I'm trying to say that if you're going to help my brother, help him, if not, don't pretend to be anything."

Naruto tilted his head to the side with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Temari? I have not pretended to be anything and I never promised Gaara to offer my assistance in anything. He is the Kazekage not me, I'm just a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf."

Temari shook her head. "I'm not saying you promised anything, but your mother considers us as family, Gaara sees you as a friend. At one stage, the thought of being your wife had settled in my mind. Gaara says he wants to speak with you, please be honest with him. It would be helpful to us if we knew who we can turn to when things are difficult."

"Who do you think I am, Temari?"

"I don't know, I know you're someone even the village's leaders seem to fear. I'm very much involved in politics, so I know these things. Besides, I talk to Shikamaru; he seems to know you pretty well." Temari said.

Naruto smiled. "That is some way to ask for help, Temari." He said. "But it is fine. Since I can't get rid of you because my mother likes you, I will be your shoulder when you have no one to turn to…" He paused as a thought came to mind.

"Why don't you send a message to your brother and tell him that you will extend your stay here by a couple of hours. When you depart to Suna, I will go back with you so that I can talk to your brother."

 **End of chapter**

 **That is how I concluded chapter 27… I should have chapter 28 ready in the next seven days. Latest, I will upload it next Sunday.**

 **To those who didn't get responses to their reviews, you have my thanks. I do believe I responded to everyone with questions though.**

 **Thanks again to Freestyle 763 for editing this for me.**

 **The Sage**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Sasuke strolled through the passages of the Hokage tower, heading towards the office of the Godaime Hokage. He was going to meet the woman over her proposed job offer for him. He hadn't spoken to Naruto since the blond returned from Kumogakure, but the blond hadn't lingered around for too long as he had departed once more with the sister to the Kazekage.

He wasn't in a hurry to speak to the blond nevertheless, he could use some fresh air away from Naruto. With Naruto, it was always oppression, always playing 'follow the leader.'

He wanted to do something for himself for once, and his mother wasn't against the idea.

Sasuke knocked at the door to the office of Tsunade.

"Come in."

Sasuke could hear the clear voice of the Godaime Hokage.

Without wasting any time to gather his thoughts, Sasuke entered the office.

The Godaime Hokage wasn't alone–she was with her trusted assistant–Shizune. Sasuke's eyes lingered on the black-haired woman for a couple of seconds before he turned his focus towards the blonde sitting behind the big desk of responsibility.

At this time, Sasuke didn't see himself sitting behind that desk. He wanted to do something about his clan first and he needed to sort out a few things first. But his mother wanted him to push for it.

He knew that Naruto had no interest in becoming Hokage. For Naruto, it was possibly that he didn't want to take the responsibility he would fail to fulfil when the time came for sacrifices.

But Sasuke was still certain that if the opportunity represented itself, Naruto would take the chance to become Hokage. It would give him a more level field to play his games with other people and he could get what he wanted easily.

Although he would not admit it, Naruto was a bit of a convenient person.

Tsunade would have to choose her successor though, and she would certainly not choose the blond when knowing what he valued the most. Unless she suddenly died and the responsibility to electing a new Kage was up to the council, then Naruto could get a chance to play his tricks on them.

If it came to that, Naruto would win that battle. He loved playing tricks and pulling the strings on people.

Admittedly, Sasuke agreed with his mother when it came to the fact that despite everything, Naruto could make a great Hokage. Of course, he would never admit that to the blond.

Naruto would get funny thoughts if he said that.

"Sasuke." Tsunade started calmly. "I wasn't expecting to see you. Do you need a mission?"

He normally went with Naruto on what to do, but she had come to understand that he didn't like just sitting within the Uchiha compound without anything to do. The Uchiha had trained to become strong and he wanted to fight to test that power as well as do something. Just sitting around could get someone to lose it. But if he thought like Naruto, he wouldn't have a problem with boredom.

The Uzumaki was a mask of curious things. Tsunade really wished she could just get into his head one day and just take a look to see what was inside of him. She wanted to know what really went inside that head and how it was able to think the way it does.

Sasuke was a different subject. He was simple but that simplicity was the thing that made things difficult. As Naruto has admitted himself, controlling the Uchiha isn't the easiest thing to do, and he seemed to fear that the Uchiha was prone to manipulation, perhaps it had to do with his personality.

That was why he felt the need to keep a close eye on him to avoid someone trying anything on him.

"I'm not looking for a mission." Sasuke said. "But if you have one that is interesting, I won't turn it down. I could use something to let loose some steam."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, but did not ask what was wrong. She hasn't spoken to him since he returned from Kumo and Naruto only came here to give her his report and a message from the Mizukage before saying that h was leaving for Sunagakure since Gaara said he wanted to speak to him.

"What can I do for you?" The slug princess asked.

"If your offer of joining Anbu still stands, I will be happy to take it." Sasuke said firmly.

His brother had been in Anbu and he was interested to see how that would be like that. From what he knew, Anbu did dangerous missions and that was something that he wanted to do. He was only going to pair with Naruto now when they were going out to fight the Akatsuki or if there was something troublesome they had to handle, if not, he was going to do his own thing.

It would not be so bad being Anbu.

At least he hoped so. Itachi had said it taught him so many things, and he was hoping that it was going to be the same for him.

"What brought this on?" Tsunade asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing: I was always going to think about it. Besides, I need to get away from Naruto's shadow if I am going to establish myself. It won't do any favour to the Uchiha if I allow his shadow to consume me. I am going to be Clan head in the near future, I need to be prepared, experienced and with a reputation."

Tsunade smiled; this was unexpected but a good thing nevertheless.

"I will get the paperwork ready and someone will pick you up for your training." Tsunade tried to conceal her happiness as she responded.

"What training?" Sasuke asked, with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Anbu training." Tsunade said with a smile. "I don't think Naruto taught you anything about the black ops. You must go through its training if you're going to do well in your missions. We need disciplined people who will be able to take order without questions. I mean that Sasuke, if you question things, you're out. If I order you to do something, don't ask me for the merits of the action, just do it."

"Are you saying I should follow orders blindingly?" Sasuke more or less demanded from the Hokage.

Tsunade sharpened her eyes. "No: that isn't what I am saying. I'm saying I don't allow insubordination in Anbu. Something like that tone you just used now. If you want to become Anbu, you will treat me as your commander in chief, not your friend, not some woman you show some little respect. The moment you stop respecting me, you question my rule. We cannot have that in Anbu. Since Anbu report directly to me, I need people I can trust and depend on. If I cannot trust you, I cannot allow you to continue being at Anbu. There is a way of things: you must follow it. You will learn that when they take you through your training." The Godaime paused. "Is there anything else?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Good." Tsunade said.

She considered asking the Uchiha if Naruto had said anything concerning Sunagakure but she shook it off. She could ask about it on another day.

"Why does not Naruto fear the Akatsuki? He knows they are after him, and yet he doesn't have a problem in travelling alone. I told him that it was for his own safety that he travels with someone else who can fight alongside him should he comes across them, but he was dismissive of the idea."

Sasuke didn't find that odd–it was something like Naruto. Even he wouldn't want anyone to be with him.

"Naruto believes in his strength and has no shortage of confidence. But if he's being like this, he has something planned up. It is likely he is waiting for something. With someone alongside him, no one can approach him."

That made Tsunade curious.

"Who could he be waiting for?"

Sasuke shrugged.

He had an idea from what his brother told him, but he wasn't going to tell the Godaime Hokage. It would just raise more questions and if the blond didn't tell her, then it wasn't his business to tell. Besides, he has already said too much anyway.

"I see." Tsunade said, drawing a thoughtful look on her face. "You can leave now. Once I get your paperwork, they will come for you."

"Can't I just go to them? It would be less troublesome that way…" Sasuke said.

"Do you know who is going to come for you or where they are even located?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"Naruto knows the village's layout like it is the back of his house. He can walk around the streets with his eyes closed and just half of his senses working and would find what he is looking for." Sasuke didn't need to add because of that, he had also come to possess some knowledge with regards to the village's layout.

Tsunade wasn't the least surprised.

"Just go, Sasuke." She said in a dismissive tone.

Sunagakure

Temari finally allowed herself an intake of oxygen with all her might as she stopped at the village entrance.

Traveling with Naruto was brutal because the blond didn't do too many stops, he was focused on the goal ahead and he had said he didn't want to linger around the desert for far too long because you never knew when a storm was going to brew.

As they walked through the streets of the Hidden Sand, Temari couldn't help but eye the blond out the corner of her eyes: she was still surprised that he had chosen to come back with her just to talk to Gaara simply because he had asked her.

There had to be something, Naruto wasn't that kind of person who did things on a whim or just because someone appealed to him.

Well, she wasn't going to complain about it. She knew he was a capable person and would no doubt help them through difficult situations. He always did seem to have the answers to everything.

"I thought you were a person who says her thoughts loud and firmly." Naruto said, his narrowed eyes meeting Temari's.

The blonde didn't look away after being caught staring, she stared back at him before she responded. "There is nothing in my head that I want to tell you."

"I doubt that: I can guess what you're thinking now."

Temari frowned.

She hated that part about him, but she didn't help matters with her expressions. Naruto was good at reading facial expressions and she wasn't good at wearing masks. She has been around him for far too long. When she was going to learn?

Oh, right, she had dismissed the idea because she hated being fake.

"Keep guessing, but don't tell me." Temari said. "Come on; let us go to my house first. You need some rest and something to eat. We left Konoha yesterday and only rested during the night, because it wasn't safe to cross the desert at night."

Naruto shook his head.

"I must return to Konoha the moment I finish speaking to Gaara. Once I'm done with him, I will avoid travelling through the desert and teleport directly into the Fire country's borders. There are still things I must sort in Konoha before we take the fight to the Akatsuki."

Temari wasn't going to get into an argument with him; she merely nodded and led him towards the Kazekage tower.

When they arrived, Baki was with the Kazekage. He was standing on Gaara's right, hands folded behind his back, with a stern expression masking his face.

Gaara was the first to speak. "Naruto. I was surprised when I received Temari's message. I thought it would take a while for you to get back to me, considering how much of a busy person you are."

The blond Uzumaki sat down as Gaara spoke. Once he was comfortable, he spoke.

"Your dear sister was very persuasive. I thought not to disappoint her by delaying my visit. Besides, if I had not come here, it was likely going to take some time. Once I return to Konoha, the focus will be on the Akatsuki and their dreams."

He would not have the chance to play around with anyone else. The problem of the Akatsuki was a major one that threatened his very existence and since they were on the move, he could not help matters. He had to pull his weight to stop them from getting his life. He had to stop them from trying to destabilize the Elemental Nations.

He needed this world to be calm or else there would be trouble. The seeds of war were being planted every day and everywhere. If other Jinchuriki were taken and only he remained, it would not take a second for someone to plant doubts in Konoha's innocence in the whole matter. Someone could say that it has been Konoha's doing all along.

The other villages would turn on them.

Whilst he may be forced to flee Konoha if something like that happens, there was no doubt that Naruto would enter the war.

Yes, he would put on a mask and decimate battlefields in a quest to reduce the human population. It wouldn't even be a problem if he could wipe out all shinobi involved in the war. It would take many years for the nations to regroup, and by then, his print would be all over the each nation.

Gaara smiled.

"I'm glad even my sister can be persuasive." The Kazekage almost sounded sarcastic when he said that, but it wasn't his intention. He truly didn't believe that Naruto came here because his sister had a way with words, but at the same time, if his sister hadn't said anything, he wouldn't be here.

"Tsunade told me of how the Akatsuki took away the Tailed-Beast away from you." Naruto said. "Have you seen the humanoid creature they used to seal the Bijuu? Or even heard of it from anywhere in legends stories?"

Gaara shook his head. "It was my first time seeing it."

Naruto nodded.

He would have to consult with the Kyubbi about this. If this thing could take in Bijuu and was being controlled by the Rinnegan, then the Bijuu had to know something about it. Its history goes back to the legends of the Sage of Six paths. Naruto knew the Bijuu was not just a force of nature that was made of nothing but chakra and hatred for humans.

The hatred for humans was something that happened because of the actions of humans. It was safe to say that most Bijuu didn't like humans for their treatment of Bijuu.

They were nothing more than weapons for power, weapons they could use in their wars.

But Bijuu had a will, they had thoughts. They were alive and have been living for far longer than possibly shinobi. For humans to be dismissive of their existence and treat them as nothing more than mindless masses of chakra was naïve and the height of human ignorance.

Naruto pitied humans sometimes.

But their arrogance led them to believe that they controlled the world. That they were the superior creatures. Surely, it was like that, but humans were foolish. They were destroying this world little by little. How much blood has this world drank, how many humans has it been forced to bury inside its gut? It was all because of human foolishness.

Humans might be superior in some ways, but Naruto had reason to believe that humans were not the first to grace this world. Of course he didn't go as far as to question how humans became, but when looking at things, there was enough reason to say that humans just came over and started to assume control.

Without the trees, land and water, humans wouldn't survive in this world. The survival of humans was tied to nature. So for one to be one with the world, you had to be one with nature. Perhaps that was why Senjutsu was powerful and it wasn't something that you could just learn yourself. As far as Naruto was concerned, the summons taught sage jutsu.

"Do you think it knows something?" Gaara asked.

"I won't know unless I try asking." Naruto responded calmly.

He didn't want to commit to anything.

It was nevertheless important that they find out what the Akatsuki was planning. This was a major breakthrough.

Without Gaara's information, he wouldn't even know where to look. His planning was correct, he hadn't made the wrong choice in leaving Gaara alone when he knew that the Akatsuki was moving towards him. The redhead was alive, and back in the hot seat. There was no harm done but something valuable being gained.

"What is that you really wish to discuss with me, Gaara?" Naruto asked. "I had my reasons for doing what I did with your previous council, but I have already told you that I don't have any desire to manipulate you to gain control over the Hidden Sand. I would prefer it if you handled village matters on your own. You're the leader of this village, and to fully mature on that role, to tackle bigger things; you must be able to handle what is inside your village."

There were bigger things coming along in the near future and it wouldn't work well if he was not surrounded by competent Kages. They had to be able to step out and not only solve any matters arising within to be able to handle the bigger matters that included other villages; matters that could result in war if not handled not carefully.

Besides, there were bigger villages in the Elemental Nations that required a lot more effort from him.

"I understand that. Nevertheless, I will need your assistance in some things. I cannot deny that your input is something that I would value if it were offered. On other issues that relates to the outside, I'd like to keep the channel open for cooperation." Gaara said. "Not only that, but Suna is honestly the weakest amongst the Elemental Nations. Our standing is evidently low and our opinion will hardly matter. I want to help this village grow enough to be self-sufficient without having to heavily rely on Konoha and the Wind Daimyo. I already have plans, but I believe that you can strengthen those plans."

"Interesting. For now and the next couple of years, Sunagakure will remain weak. However, if things are handled carefully you can become stronger and compete with other nations. I'll give you a couple of hints: change the current system in your academy, replace it with something strong in order to produce top shinobi. For that, I can give you a detailed plan; this country is not great for farming, meaning you rely on food from neighbouring countries…"

The blond paused, and took out a scroll.

"I will go over what is inside that scroll, if you have questions, you will ask. This will also take some time, so, you may want to sit, Baki."

Later

Outskirts of Konoha

Naruto stopped moving when he sensed something. He had been running through the forest, in a hurry to get back to the Leaf. It was already getting late and he needed to hurry home, or else he would end up missing dinner with his mother.

The blond Uzumaki landed down on the ground before speaking.

"Who is there?" He asked calmly.

He didn't like being followed, especially by someone he didn't know about. It was a problem for him when things like this happened. Well, it was a little okay, as it appeared that the person wasn't looking likely to attack him. In fact, the person appears to have been just observing him.

Zetsu's head formed from the tree's trunk before he spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He started calmly, "I have been watching you for a long time."

"For what reason?" Naruto asked.

This was an interesting experience.

This was the first time he was seeing the plant like creature. It was definitely not human and that raised many questions but he did not entertain them. What he was curious about was how the black creature was able to keep an eye on him when he did not know anything about it.

"You interest me." Black Zetsu responded calmly. "You and I are a lot alike. Nevertheless, this isn't the time for that. Today, we succeeded in taking the Two-tails… since the Three Tails has no Jinchuriki, taking it will be easy. Our focus now is on both Iwa's Jinchuriki. We will get them and soon we will be moving towards you for the Kyubi. I hope then, you and I can talk. Until then, Uzumaki Naruto."

The plant like creature vanished.

Naruto looked at the place the thing had appeared from before shaking his head.

It was good that he kept most thoughts to himself.

Without thinking about anything, else, Naruto took off towards Konoha.

Naruto's House

Naruto was sitting inside his study, working on a few things–the Akatsuki to be precise. He was concerned about the organization's movements.

It was moving far faster than he had thought it would. Konoha has so far managed to take out Sasori and Itachi was out of the picture because of his death. One could not say the organization was weakened because of it. To weaken it, they would have to attack its leader. The one who was pulling the strings for the Jinchuriki to be hunted had to be the one with the plan.

With information from Itachi, Naruto knew who the real leader was but he wasn't concerned about Obito. He was certain that even if Obito came to an end, Pain would continue with the agenda.

Obito was already handled; he didn't have to worry about him.

What he had to worry about was Pain.

The Rinnegan was something of an unknown force. He could not think of ways he had to go out the powerful doujutsu. A visit to Amegakure was on the cards, but just to be on the safe side of things, he would have to move out with Jiraiya.

The door to the study opened, forcing Naruto to look up.

Yugao looked at the littered desk for a moment before her eyes met with Naruto's.

"Something wrong?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Not particularly. But, there have been some developments that have caused me to rethink a couple of things. I was running on the view that there was time to set up a few things. However, I no longer have the luxury to work around things. I must now focus on the Akatsuki because they will be moving towards me soon."

Yugao showed her surprise.

She thought the organization had only captured just Suna's Bijuu and that the blond would be the last. That would give him time to go on his parade and still manage them. However, if he was saying they were going to move on him soon, that meant that they had already made a move on others.

"What have they done?"

"Made movements." Naruto responded vaguely. "Tell me, does it make me a bad person that I do not care about what the Akatsuki is planning? I just want to project my life, the security around here. I don't really care about the other Jinchuriki."

Yugao blinked in surprise; it was the kind of question that she did not expect from the blond Uzumaki. Yugao didn't expect the blond to ask something like that. Naruto didn't talk about his moral values, whether he was good or evil, he didn't care about those things.

His mother didn't even entertain the subject with him because she knew which line he followed.

"Not necessarily." Yugao said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Are you trying to become a good person, who will be liked by all, Naruto? Maybe a hero of some kind?"

"That isn't funny." Naruto said in a flat tone. "I'm only curious about the thin line between good and bad, right and wrong. It has become relevant if I'm going to successfully deal with the Mizukage. But you're not going to help me with this. You always have a reason for coming here, what is it this time?"

"Have you spoken to Mikoto?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No; not since I left for Kiri. I'm guessing she knows by now and has confronted you."

"She did." Yugao said.

It was something that she didn't want to get into detail over, but she knew it wasn't over. They would still have to talk things out, if she was going to do it with Naruto. She could not avoid the woman forever.

She did wish their last conversation had gone a little better though. It was going to make things awkward and perhaps difficult when they do speak.

Yugao still had to navigate through this phase first. If Naruto decided that he didn't want to go through it, she would have to forget about it. She would not rape him just to force him to get into a relationship with her. She would have to look elsewhere.

"I see…" Naruto adopted a thoughtful look on his face. "I will see her tomorrow."

A few moments of silence settled in before Yugao asked.

"Where do we stand, Naruto?"

Naruto pushed his chair slightly back from his desk and leaned back. He gave Yugao a firm stare as he asked.

"Where do you want us to stand, Yugao? I have given things some thought, but just to be on the safe side of things, I would rather not do anything reckless. Of course, saying that, I don't mean to say I'm closing the chapter. So, my question still stands."

Yugao stared for a long minute before responding. "I know you don't really love me, but I hope to turn that 'fondness' to turn into love one day…" She stated. "Am I allowed to do as I please to show you what I want?"

"Whatever you want, Yugao."

The former Anbu operative nodded.

She then slowly walked over to Naruto; she stood in the space between his chair and the desk–the space he had created when he moved back. For a moment, she looked hesitant. It was for a moment though. The woman inched closer to the blond and spread her legs a bit, before sitting on his lap, facing him directly.

Yugao placed her hands on his chest.

It was a gentle touch.

Naruto didn't make any immediate movements. The other day, it was him making a move and now it was her. Well, she is a former Anbu-that came with boldness. He would certainly be surprised if she acted all shy and all.

Their eyes met for a long minute before Naruto finally moved his hands.

He did not hurry as he grabbed Yugao's butt with both hands. He pressed on a bit before moving them upwards. They slid inside Yugao's shirt, but he only wrapped them around her waist.

Yugao leaned closer and closer.

Slowly, perhaps purposefully, but Naruto did not rush her.

It was building the excitement inside his blood streams.

Finally, Yugao stopped, and that was when she could feel his breath. She closed her eyes, and tried to listen to the sound of his heartbeat.

It wasn't racing, but yet not beating normally. He was calm, not acting like a sex slaved teenage body. Yet, the change in the heartbeat showed that he was excited or at least getting there.

It was probably the latter.

The gears were changing slowly.

Yugao left her thoughts when Naruto suddenly pulled her closer, using his hands on her waist. His lips captured hers, but he paused for a moment before eventually kissing her–it was slow and gentle, not hurried in any manner.

It came to an end a few moments later.

"You're killing me. This excitement is only building on the stress of over the past couple of years I haven't been doing this. You don't need to be gentle with me."

Naruto hands moved up to Yugao's back, gently caressing her. Yugao closed her eyes once more, enjoying the feeling.

For a moment, it stopped and she opened her eyes, with a questioning look on her face.

Naruto just smiled.

"This is going to be a long night and this house is a bit small. I prefer to take it somewhere safe…" The moment those words left his mouth, the two vanished from the study.

They appeared in a very familiar room to Naruto–this was the room he has done all kind of things with Mikoto. He did use this bed for this purpose only, but when he does move in here permanently, it would also be used for resting after a long day.

Yugao looked around–she realized they were in the Senju Compound.

She turned back to Naruto. "Is this were you satisfy Mikoto?" She asked, but the tone of her voice left a question mark: it was difficult to tell if she was just bitter or mad about it.

With what Mikoto has taught him, Naruto knew enough not to answer that question. Yugao's tone didn't even tempt him to think about what he does with the Uchiha.

The blond Uzumaki just strengthened his hold on her waist, slamming her body into his before speaking, whilst staring into her eyes. "This is where we are going to start something…I don't know what, nor can I explain the feeling, but if my mother is firm on it, this is going to be our room."

Yugao stared back.

"Won't I be sharing it with Mikoto?" She asked in a firm tone. "I spoke to her, and I got the feeling that to her it was more than just the sex. If I could tell that, you should also know that as well."

Naruto's mask didn't break–he knew it was something much more to Mikoto. He just didn't want to think about it because of the consequences that would follow if it became public knowledge.

But he knew.

"Must you bring her up now?" Naruto asked, not wanting to deal with the Mikoto issue. "It is just you and me, with no one else here. We have the compound to ourselves; must we talk about that issue?"

Yugao wrapped her hands around Naruto's neck.

She pulled him closer, as she leaned over as well. Her lips were just inches away from his left ear as she whispered.

"Promise me we will talk about it tomorrow morning. I don't want to leave it just hanging over our shoulders. We must deal with it."

"You have a deal." Naruto whispered back.

Yugao smiled slightly before taking a bite of Naruto's ear. Her tongue slit through her teeth before she licked the edges of his ear playfully. As her gentle tongue ran from his ear through his cheek, Naruto felt the excitement building through his spine, causing the skin to shiver slightly.

Yugao finally reached his lips before she locked with his. Her eyes closed, as she ventured into a blissful tag with Naruto's lips. She did not devour him like a mad beast despite the trembling excitement she felt coursing through her body; she kept it gentle and passionate for about a couple of minutes.

When they separated, her hands left Naruto's neck, she raised them up.

Naruto didn't need to be told what to do, he helped her take off her shirt. The blond threw it down the cold floor before removing his own without Yugao's help.

Once that was done, Yugao's pants slid down as well. Naruto followed her example shortly before they walked towards the bed. Naruto pulled her closer as his hands shifted behind her. He undid her bra before removing it.

Yugao pulled the blond towards the bed before pushing him onto it. Slowly, she slid on top of him. At that time, Naruto pulled her closer; his hands were quick to massage her bust.

Yugao jolted slightly as she felt something hit her.

"I thought your gears moved slowly."

"On this occasion, I'm a little more excited than usual."

The Following morning

Naruto found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at the floor. His nudity didn't concern him, nor the cold that came along with the morning.

Behind the blond, Yugao was sound asleep, her naked body hidden under crimson sheets. He had nearly left the house to return home thinking he had overslept. It was how things usually were with Mikoto.

After every night of ecstasy, he had to rush home before anyone notices he was away. Sometimes it was both who had to make the haste and silent return to their beds – it was the case when they came here for a night of bliss.

The secrecy in their relationship forced that kind of behaviour.

It would not be good if his mother went to his room and found him away. He didn't want his mother to think he was sleeping outside. Besides, if she asked questions, he wouldn't be able to tell her the truth.

That would force him to lie.

Naruto didn't want to get used to lying to his mother.

It was always a pain when he had to hide the truth from her.

When Yugao stirred slowly, Naruto turned his head to look at her.

it was only for a moment before he went back to his staring contest with the floor.

When did things come to this point in his life? When he came back to the Hidden Leaf, he didn't think that he would find himself waking up with a woman beside him or even having a drinking contest with former colleagues in Anbu. He was doing it nevertheless.

It was truly a dramatic change, but somehow it felt natural.

His mother would say it is what happens when you start growing up. Naruto knew where it started though. If not for Mikoto, he would not have been here. He wouldn't have even thought of sleeping with Yugao or even discussing marrying her with his mother.

Because that woman had penetrated through his personal barriers, he was becoming a normal person.

There no longer was anything that set him apart from other people: he was truly becoming human.

Yet, the change wasn't so bad. He could say that he could start to live life and his mother approved of these changes. In fact, she was discovering her happiness once more. It wasn't so bad.

Yugao's right hand moved within the sheets as she tried to look for Naruto as she couldn't feel his warmth. She didn't want to open her eyes, but when she couldn't feel him so she was forced to slowly open them.

She blinked when she didn't see him but her senses quickly felt him from behind. When she tried to turn around, her body hurt slightly causing her to groan. She forced herself to turn around without leaving the sheets–she still had to protect her modesty. She was very much aware that she wasn't wearing anything.

Yugao smiled happily when she saw the blond's back, and a bit of his butt. The last part was what was making her smile; the memories of the night they shared. It had been beautiful. She wasn't going to compare it with her past experiences, but that had been something else.

"Naruto." Yugao started in a slightly tired tone.

She felt like cuddling, but she doubted the blond was the kind who did that.

"Why are up so early?"

Naruto turned his head slightly to face Yugao before responding. "I woke up early to wake you up so that you can return home before Sasuke wakes up." He said.

There was mild amusement in his tone.

Yugao blinked before giggling quietly. "Is that what you have to do with Mikoto?"

Naruto nodded. "I was surprised with myself. I stopped myself when I realized that I didn't have to sneak around. Mother won't ask questions, there is nothing to hide."

"How does it feel?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm used to keeping secrets, but this does change things." He said. "We should return home though. I don't want to worry mother."

Yugao closed her eyes for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. She held out her hand, grabbing his arm firmly.

"We still need to talk about this and Sasuke's mother. You're still seeing her, and I don't like the thought of sharing you."

Naruto wanted to remind Yugao that it was Mikoto who was sharing him. He has been involved with the Uchiha and Yugao was only appearing now. She was the one causing things to shift.

"I really don't know how I am going to deal with the situation." Naruto said. "But I will talk to Mikoto…"

He paused.

"Still, I think I have enough energy for two." He meant that as a joke.

"I want you all to myself." Yugao said firmly. "Besides, you don't have a future with Mikoto. But you have a future with me. I'm still young, we will grow old together. Not only that, you have to live in secret with her and I'm going to be Uzumaki one day."

Naruto didn't say anything.

"Naruto what will happen if you knock her up?" Yugao asked.

Naruto blinked a little caught off-guard by the question.

"What?"

"I'm just saying; things will become even more complicated if something like that happens…" It would be bad news to her because then, Mikoto would always be a part of Naruto's life and even if Kushina does get angry, it won't be for long because she would have to quickly forgive Mikoto for the sake of her grandchild.

A selfish part of her didn't want that to happen.

"I would not let it happen." Naruto said with a shake of his head.

"Have you been protecting yourself? We didn't last night and you didn't even say anything about it."

As an Anbu, Yugao was always protected, but she has stopped protecting herself since she was no longer even active.

Naruto blinked. "I think if you had caught me a couple of months ago, I would have been asking you what I was protecting myself from…" The blond said, in a slightly amused tone. "I don't know, but I don't think we have. Really, I'm not that experienced, so I've never even considered that something like that could happen."

Yugao stared at him.

"Are you kidding me?"

Naruto stared back.

He was dead serious.

"You're unbelievable, but I shouldn't be surprised." Yugao shook her head. "Let us hope you haven't knocked her up already. Anyway, I hope you will be careful from now on. I'm not going to fool myself into thinking that you're going to end things with her just like that. I guess I should also thank her. Last night was magical because of her." She said with a wide smile.

Training Ground 7

Two Hours Later

Naruto was standing in front of the large gates that separated him and the Kyubi. The said Bijuu had its eyes closed, laying in darkness as if it didn't know he was in its presence.

"What do you want?" The Kyubi asked without opening its eyes.

"I have questions." Naruto said before slowly walking past the bars of the cell.

The Kyubi's eyes snapped open when he did that, but Naruto didn't pay it mind. He just jumped atop of the Bijuu's head and settled in a meditative position.

"For some reason, I find it very easy to meditate when I'm in here. Perhaps it has something to do with the natural side of you. Sure, you're full of hate for humans, but your chakra has certain qualities that have life. When I focus on that chakra, I feel its rough warmth."

"You insult me, brat." Kurama said in a slightly disgusted tone.

This wasn't the first time that Naruto has been within the cell, and talking to him atop of his head. When he wants to meditate, he always ends up in here and the first time had been because he simply could not remain standing in the water, so he had to settle on something, and that something was him. Kurama had thought of squashing the blond the last time he was here.

Naruto had fell asleep on his head.

Yes, he was that comfortable beside him. There was no fear that he would try to take over his body. The blond believed they had an understanding of their situation. It just made Kurama curious. there hasn't been any human who viewed him in such a manner, so much that he was even willing to take a nap beside him.

Other humans trembled in fear at the mention of his name. His mere appearance would make them shit themselves, but Naruto was comfortable enough to meditate and sleep beside him.

A strange human.

"What do you want, Naruto?"

"Need you ask? You know exactly why I am here." Naruto said in a calm tone. "The Rinnegan is connected to the Sage of Six Paths. This humanoid creature that has nine eyes, and one opened after a Bijuu is sealed within it is controlled by someone with a Rinnegan. The nine eyes would represent the Bijuu. We, Uzumaki were rather famous for inventing Fuinjutsu powerful enough to seal Bijuu into a human, but this isn't a Jinchuriki. It is something else that we don't even know about.

I have reasons to believe that you would know. This thing is capable of holding all nine Bijuu within it. It isn't something normal. You should know something about it. I believe that if you tell me what I want, I will be able to tell what the Akatsuki's objective is."

Kurama knew Naruto well enough to know that if he tells the blond the reason he was not willing to say anything Naruto would just grow even more curious and would resort to other means to find out what he wants.

"They are playing with something dangerous that should not have been unsealed. if not handled properly, it could destroy this entire world." Kurama said.

"I know that." Naruto said. "Your power alone is something frightening, but what happens when you combine all nine Bijuu into one? What do you make? What kind of powers comes after that? It still does not change things because there are still things I'm lacking."

"I won't tell you, nevertheless. Now, leave me alone."

Naruto frowned. "At least I know it is something that scares even the mighty Nine-Tailed Demon."

Kurama did not respond.

He had his eyes closed, playing dead.

Naruto knew not to say anything now. He was good with other people, but the Bijuu wasn't a person. Its existence was something else entirely. Nevertheless, if this took him to a point where he felt massively threatened, he would not be against using the Sharingan to get the Bijuu to tell him what he wanted to know.

For now, he was okay with cooperation, but it would have its limits if the Kyubi's refusal to tell him what he wanted to know threatened not only his life but his mother's as well.

Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open when he felt an attack nearing him. The blond tilted his head to the right slightly. A second later, a kunai whizzed past his cheek before hitting the ground. Naruto's eyes snapped towards the kunai–it had an explosive tag on it. He didn't have the time to frown before the tag went off.

Boom!

The tag exploded within seconds of blinking pale blue. Naruto did a replacement jutsu to get away from the blast of the jutsu–he replaced himself with a log.

The explosion hit the log causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

On the trees behind, Kakashi narrowed his eyes–the Jonin was standing on a branch.

"You still have fine reflexes." The Jonin stated calmly as Naruto landed on the same branch, a little further to his right. "But is that all you can do?"

The moment those words left his lips, Kakashi twirled around: leaving his right foot on the branch as he lifted his left. His leg sped upwards, heading towards Naruto's shoulder. Naruto saw the kick coming and raised hands to block it.

He was able to successfully block it from hitting his shoulder, but Kakashi's kick carried more power than he was expecting.

As a result, the blond was pushed off the branch. It nearly made him fall to the ground on the side but he managed to regain control over his body quickly before allowing his body to be dragged down whilst facing up. This allowed him to face Kakashi and he was able to attack quickly before he could hit the ground.

Naruto did a couple of hand seals before holding a seal over his mouth. He inhaled a large amount of oxygen before exhaling flames.

"Katon: Great Fire Ball no Jutsu!" The blond released flames from his mouth. The flames formed a large fireball with intense heat.

Kakashi didn't show his surprise as the jutsu neared him.

It seemingly hit him dead on, but the Jonin suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The real Kakashi burst out of the ground just below Naruto with a lightning coated kunai in his right hand. The Jonin jumped, right hand rearing towards Naruto's back.

Naruto was able to sense the Jonin the moment he burst out of the ground. Without even looking below, his right hand moved behind him as if he was trying to slap the kunai on the side. But the palm of his hand never touched the lightning coated kunai that would have literally shocked him if he had touched it.

"Wind Force."

Kakashi felt an invisible force hitting his body as Naruto's hand moved. it felt like he was being slapped by something. He quickly recognized the feeling as wind.

But wind generally hit with great force, but although this had force in it, the force wasn't that powerful, hence he felt as if he was being slapped.

The force hit the Jonin head on. It pushed him away from Naruto. Since the force wasn't that great, it only managed to get him out of his way. Naruto was able to avoid the kunai because of this. Kakashi was still quick to gain his footing with the kunai still in his right hand before twisting around in flash. This was done instantaneously before Naruto could even hit the ground with his back.

The Jonin didn't lunge towards Naruto. There was no time for that; he would not make it in time before Naruto could react. Instead, he flung the Kunai towards Naruto. The speed made it almost impossible for the blond to dodge it given his position.

Naruto didn't frown when the kunai seemingly pierced through the side of his chest, but he suddenly burst into a murder of crows. The moment the blond turned into crows, Kakashi vanished from his location, heading towards the clearing.

He had moved away because he could not tell where Naruto would come from.

It was better to stay away from those crows because Naruto usually hid the Sharingan in them. Without even knowing, he could be trapped inside a genjutsu and when fighting against someone like Naruto–even if it would be for a second, that could prove disastrous.

Creating a safe distance was the best option to avoid a sneak attack.

"Do you miss the good days we used to train at the back of my house that much?" Naruto asked as he walked into the clearing.

He was unharmed and didn't look as if he was about to continue with the sparring session.

Kakashi looked up at Naruto for a moment before shrugging. He took out his beloved book and before his eyes turned on it firmly. He read a paragraph. A slight eye smile graced his mask for a second before that very eye turned to Naruto for a moment–it went back to the book afterwards.

"I thought you needed a good short exercise of high stakes." The Jonin said. "Is that your real power? With wind, I mean. I know it is your natural affinity but you have hardly used it."

"There has never been a need to go that far." Naruto said with a shrug of shoulders. "Well, that was a bit refreshing. I'm glad you're still quick. Though, you do tend to take things very lightly…"

He shook his head, instead of going any further.

Kakashi has always been there.

He has always been by his side, helping him when he needed help.

If Naruto was going to be honest, Kakashi was the only other person he had been really close to just after the Sandaime Hokage. The man had made visits to his house, his mother knew him clearly as he had been his father's student. not only that, but the man has been watching over him for so long and that was before he was even born.

Regardless of whatever, this person was always going to be part of his life.

"We should get a day for a good sparring session." Kakashi said without even looking at the blond–who was by now on the ground, in a meditative position once more.

"Well, you do have a partner in Sasuke, but just for old times' sake, we should do it sometimes."

Naruto nodded. "I do not disagree with that…Things have changed, though, haven't they, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked towards Naruto. It was very rare for the Uzumaki to call him 'sensei' but after everything, he was not wrong. The Sandaime and Itachi were not the only ones who taught Naruto when he was younger. He had a hand on it at times when he wasn't busy with Anbu missions.

It made him smile that Naruto still considered him in a light like that; it was certainly not a slip of the tongue, the blond Uzumaki meant it.

Kakashi looked up into the heavens as he responded. "

It has, but you're growing up. You're no longer the child I felt I had to protect. You are even making friends. That at least makes me happy, even though our relationship has drifted off."

"I would not be happy, sensei. My relationships are not formed to be discarded for the sake of others. Perhaps it is because I dislike making such sacrifices. I have a few of them and I value all of them because they are important. Each has its own uniqueness, and reasons."

"We are different; we will take life in a different way because of it." Kakashi said, but did not elaborate any further. "Besides that, you have a lot to deal with these days. I hope once things settle we can go back to those days."

Naruto shook his head.

"Instead of trying to relive past glories, you should focus on making new memories, sensei." The Uzumaki said in a firm tone. "What are you doing here at this time anyway?"

"I was taking a stroll and ended up here without even realizing it…" Kakashi responded.

Naruto shook his head with a small smile. "In two days, we should be moving to the Senju Compound. The place is big for the family of three. If you would like, you can have one of the houses closer to the main house. That way, you'd be a closer." Naruto offered.

"Of course I consider that it will be a little of extra security for the family, but you have always been the 'guardian' so it works out."

Before Kakashi could respond, Jiraiya popped up.

"What about the godfather?"

"Eh." Naruto shrugged carelessly. "I don't have one as far as I'm concerned. I guess I have a few things to be thankful for though. Your trip did teach me a lot of the Elemental Nations." Naruto eyes then turned towards the Sannin. "I wasn't expecting you to be back soon. What brought you back?"

"You should know." Jiraiya said in a serious tone. "Tsunade wants to talk now."

Naruto sighed. "I was hoping to do this later. My thought process needs to end naturally before I make a decision." He said to himself.

"But it can't be helped." He then stood up and walked over. "Let us go then."

Jiraiya turned towards Kakashi.

"Join us as well."

Hokage Office

Tsunade straightened up and adopted a firm look on her face when the people she was waiting for appeared in her office.

The Godaime Hokage placed both her hands on her desk and stared into Naruto's eyes. She didn't say anything until everyone sat down: Jiraiya at his rightful place by the window frame and both Naruto and Kakashi in front of her desk.

"When were you planning on telling me that the Akatsuki went after Kumo's Jinchuriki?" Tsunade asked, in a calm tone.

She wasn't demanding anything from the blond, just asking.

"Today." Naruto said calmly. "I only stumbled upon it last night on my way back to the village by chance."

"Why didn't you say anything then?"

Naruto shrugged. "What would it have changed? We were in no position to do anything. The Raikage told me he could handle a bunch of criminals…It isn't necessarily our problem, but I do understand, fully, in ways you can't imagine, that the Akatsuki are planning something dangerous."

Jiraiya faced Naruto. "Have you learned something new?"

They all knew that the criminal organization was planning something sinister, but they did not know what and how much of a danger to the Elemental Nations it could be. But Naruto's tone suggested that he knew something that they did not.

"Gaara's information provided something I found troubling. I cannot confirm it fully but I believe that they are planning to create a weapon utilizing the powers of all nine Bijuu. I don't know what they plan to use the power for. Whether it is for world domination or other sinister agendas…I don't know." The Uzumaki responded.

Tsunade frowned. "This makes stopping them a priority."

Naruto nodded. "Don't the Toads know anything, Jiraiya?"

The Toad Sage blinked. "Why would the Toads know something?"

"Is that rhetorical, Jiraiya? or are you being slow on purpose?" Naruto asked.

Before Jiraiya could snap at the blond, Kakashi intervened. "Now, now, Naruto. there is no need for that. We are being civil here."

"I am being civil." Naruto said. He then sighed. "Aren't you the author of 'child of prophecy'?"

Tsunade snorted the moment Naruto said those words. "Yeah he is. He was even a sage of the prophecy at one time." The Godaime said sarcastically. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Naruto shook his head.

They were not going to understand anything he would say.

Besides, he was only going to be saying suspicions things, nothing concrete. It was not worth telling these people anything. "I just thought if their prophecy was real, then they would know something about the 'medium' the Akatsuki is using to seal Bijuu. This has something to do with the legacy of the Sage of Six Paths…The fact that there is hardly anything left behind makes it difficult to form conclusive evidence."

"You believe that he existed?" Tsunade asked Naruto, surprise evident in her tone.

Naruto nodded.

"I know he did. The Uchiha have some evidence he did, so do the Senju. Your grandfather was a Senju, he should have known. In any case, for now, we just have to think of stopping the Akatsuki."

"That is the reason we are here." Jiraiya said.

"We need to plan on how we are going to do it even without the help of other nations." Tsunade said.

"I believe they have positioned themselves to capture Bijuu from three to seven. It probably won't take them more than a couple of days to capture all of them. Since their sealing evidently takes time and they know we are trying to stop them, they are likely to capture all the Jinchuriki before going into hiding to seal all of them. We don't have to worry about them being killed since we know they don't kill them, but the extraction does that for them. Once they have captured these, they will focus on the Eight-tails. If they manage to get him, they will then come to us for the Kyubi. And since I will be last one, they will use any means necessary to get the Bijuu. My plan is that we get to their leader to stop it. We know he is in Amegakure. Jiraiya and I can go there to confirm and test his power before deciding how we deal with it."

"But you know that people who go into that village don't come back." Kakashi said, a little worried for the blond.

"Don't forget that I'm a Sannin, brat." Jiraiya said in a confident tone.

"Besides, the legendary powers of the Sannin." There was a sarcastic hint in Naruto's tone. "We have means to escape. Our purpose of going there isn't engage in a full blown battle, but to confirm things and test the power we are up against before forming a strategy on how are going to deal with it. Do you approve of this, princess?"

Tsunade was silent for a long minute as she thought of many things.

"We don't really have a choice but to go after the leader. If we take him out, we kill the hunt and the members scatter. The only thing keeping them together is probably the leader. The organization is made of powerful criminals, that means big personalities and egos. Without the powerful force to get them together, they won't be going after the Bijuu." The Godaime said.

"But what about Sasuke? Are you not going with him?"

Naruto shook his head. "We are not going to war, so Sasuke isn't needed. Besides, as childish as he can be, I think it will be safe if the likes of him and Kakashi remain behind in case something happens. This world is unpredictable. We don't know what will be waiting for us when we reach the Rain."

"When do we leave?"

Naruto appeared to think for a moment before responding.

"In three or four days from today."

"That late? They could have already made more movements by then!"

"There is no use in making panicked decisions and I'm not stupid enough to rush into life threatening situations." Naruto responded calmly.

"I understand what you're saying Naruto, but we cannot afford to waste time. Jiraiya will leave once we finish talking. Naruto, you can follow him later on tonight. That is final." Tsunade said in a dead serious tone. "If you want to make preparations, you can go and start making them." The Godaime said, dismissing the blond Uzumaki with a wave of her right hand.

That Afternoon

Senju Compound

Naruto was packing books on the shelves inside a small library within the main house with Mikoto standing just away, looking at the books already in the shelves.

"This isn't much, but still a lot of knowledge for just one person." Mikoto said.

"There is never too much when it comes to knowledge." Naruto said to Mikoto. "What makes you say it is for one person anyway?"

"Well, your mother won't bother with it and Yugao will be trying to get into your pants to come here." Mikoto said.

Naruto stopped what he was doing and turned to Mikoto.

"What if she has already done that?" He asked with an expressionless mask.

Mikoto blinked.

"What?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Nothing." He said. "We must talk about where this is going. Mother wants me to get married, and have grandchildren. To say we can't get married would be incorrect, but we are just not going to do that. So, I must look at other options."

"And grandchildren?"

Naruto shrugged. "That is something I'm not even considering at the moment. But we must solve this matter. My mother will honestly freak out if this comes out. We should jus-"

Mikoto interrupted Naruto. "We can't. Not now."

Naruto shook his head.

"Yugao said that there are chances that you might get pregnant since we don't take measures against it. That would honestly complicate things, and I'm not sure if marrying Yugao would still be an option then. Before anything happens, we must take measures to avoid that situation we cannot escape."

Mikoto walked over to the blond. She stopped inches away from and gently took his right hand and placed it on her belly.

"What if I'm already carrying your child, Naruto?"

 **Not the best chapter I have done. Really, I did not enjoy it.**

 **In any case, you have my apologies for the late submission. I'd said it would come in days before but i failed on that.**

 **I will post chapter 29 tomorrow around this time and chapter 30 on Friday. I probably wont post anything until August.**

 **I have to think hard about the direction of the story after chapter 30...**

 **Thanks to Freestyle for the editing.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	29. Chapter 29

**Rain**

Jiraiya stared at Naruto for a long minute, but the blond didn't say a word. If anything, since they met, Naruto has looked nothing if not focused. There was obviously something happening inside his head. However, just yesterday, he had appeared to be in a fine mood, his normal self. So, that meant something happened after he left the Hidden Leaf.

But what could it be that could make the blond lose his focus like this?

The Sannin sighed. "Naruto." He called in a firm tone. "Naruto!" Jiraiya called once more when Naruto didn't respond.

The blond turned towards the Sannin. "I heard you the first time you called." He said, a bit harshly than intended.

There was just a lot that he needed to fix inside his head but the thoughts did not want to calm. They were playing a game of tag with him and this was not the time he needed them to misbehave. He was usually a controlled person, but this that has happened was beyond his control and much unexpected. He did not expect it to happen, not even in his most absurd dreams.

He never expected Mikoto to be pregnant.

That was something that hadn't even crossed his mind. He had not considered the possibility. This just came with his inexperience. If he had been experienced, he would have foreseen that such things would happen. But no, he had been focused on riding high with Mikoto in a game of pleasure that he didn't think that her eggs could become fertilised and then her belly one day would grow big.

The thought had been so ridiculous that when Yugao spoke of it, he had dismissed it without even a second thought.

At least it was not yet showing. There was still time to think about how they were going to deal with it before people started talking. There was no way around it though. Naruto wasn't going to consider making 'it' disappear before anyone found out about it. He was a cruel person at times, but he wasn't that heartless.

"Then, why didn't you respond when I spoke to you?" Jiraiya demanded. "I know you're having some thoughts. You should at least let me help you out. I know we aren't that close, but one of us might not leave this village. I have so many regrets, but at least I'd like to go out knowing that I was some help to you."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Why do you think one of us will die, Jiraiya? Why do you think you will die?"

The Sannin looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds before responding. "It is just a thought." He said. "Besides, we both know that we are going to face someone ridiculously powerful. You have not shown fear for any member of the Akatsuki but when it has come to the leader, you have been unwilling to engage. Besides, if he really does hold the Rinnegan, there is something to fear. I believe the doujutsu is much more powerful than the Sharingan."

Naruto nodded. "That is disputable, but since they are the eyes of the Legendary Sage, we can assume that much." The blond said. "Since we are on the issue, we have to change the scope of our mission. This is no longer just a mission to test if the man is really located here and see his power. If we find him, we kill him."

Jiraiya wasn't surprised by the firm statement from the blond, but he was curious. "Why the change? You didn't seem too keen when we were talking to Tsunade."

"Things have changed." Naruto said. "I cannot allow for such a man to continue living with what has come up. I don't even think I will even be in a condition to fight with a clear head once I return to Konoha. For victory, this is my best short."

"Why?"

Naruto was silent for a few moments before finally speaking. "Mikoto, Sasuke's mother, is apparently pregnant with my child." The blond said with a flat look on his face.

He didn't have a problem with telling the man. Tsunade was going to know and the man would know. Besides that, the Sannin had valuable experience with life, so he had to know a lot of things and perhaps he could be of use in his dilemma.

Jiraiya stared for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "Hahahahahahahahahahahaha" The Sannin laughed for a couple of moments before halting when Naruto did not share his amusement. "You're serious." He said.

"Do I look like I'm full of shit, to you?"

The Sannin blinked at the language from Naruto. He almost thought of cautioning the blond over his language because it was not fitting for him. It didn't go well with his image, but he did not question it because there was much more pressing matter than that. "How did it happen?"

The Uzumaki stared blankly before speaking. "Again, with the rhetoric questions, Jiraiya." Naruto said with a frown.

Jiraiya shook his head. "Sorry." He said. "I understand why you're like this, but we are already in enemy territory. I know that you're going to be a father, so, I can't think of dying now. Can we talk about it after our mission? It will give me motivation to fight with all I have if we have to."

Naruto shook his head. "Fine," he said. "This village is rather unique though," He said looking around the raining streets of the Hidden village in Rain.

It was from the metallic skyscrapers that stood tall from within and the atmosphere. It was unlike anything he has seen. The stories were correct; the village was always raining. It had stopped raining about a minute ago, however.

"Jiraiya, did you notice? The rain was infused with chakra."

The Sannin blinked and then frowned. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" The man said, before dragging Naruto away from the view. They hid within a sewer. "This could explain why people are not able to come back. If the rain was infused with chakra, it could be used for sensory purposes. The barrier around the Leaf detects anyone who isn't from the village, and the rain could be used for that same purpose as well."

"My mind was a little caught up in other things moments earlier." Naruto responded calmly. "Does that mean we have already been spotted?"

"Likely the case." The Sannin said. "Are you really going to be fine if you're being like this? We are going to face a very dangerous enemy."

"Don't worry, I will be fine." Naruto said. "You should increase the efforts to gather Intel then.

Jiraiya appeared to think for a couple of seconds before nodding. "I will send out a clone. The enemy will likely discover our location quickly if we go out interrogating people. At least if the clone gets seen, it won't give away our location, but it will give us the enemy's location."

Naruto found a smile. "I sometimes like the way you think when you're serious, Jiraiya." The blond said. "I will send out a clone as well. Best we keep the appearance if they already know there are two intruders in the village."

The Sannin nodded.

 **With Pain**

"Konan." Tendou called out to the Angel of the God of Peace. "We have intruders in the village. They have been here for a couple of minutes. I wanted to confirm something I sensed. The Kyubi's Jinchuriki is likely one of the intruders. Go out and confirm. I will be preparing my bodies in case it is him."

"Is that really necessary, Nagato?" Konan asked.

Tendou nodded. "If he is the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, our opponent will be the Bijuu. We cannot go easy on it."

 **Back with Naruto and Jiraiya**

"This village is really different from any other village I have visited. As few as they have been, I don't think there can be any that compares to this in uniqueness." Naruto said as he walked side by side with Jiraiya. "On another note, I find the worship of Pain of to be curious. With how these villagers speak mightily of him, I wonder what kind of power he wields… and what it is that makes it possible for people to call him a god."

"Finding out about that will be difficult since no one has seen him." Jiraiya said. "You don't sound disturbed by the thought though."

Should he be disturbed that there was a god in this village? No, not until he saw what this god could do. Perhaps if the man proved to be too powerful to being a human, then maybe he could say, yes, he was a god. But Naruto doubted he would see something that would make him come to that conclusion. A human would always be a human in his eyes.

He could only see them as much lower than humans to be something of trash because of their behaviour. This 'god' of Amegakure could very well be a different kind of human or just some trash. Perhaps it was his warped-up sense of morals that couldn't allow him to say what the Akatsuki was planning is right or wrong.

The only thing he knew was that he had to stop it because it went against what he wanted. And it threatened his existence.

"Neither do you sound disturbed, Jiraiya. If anything, you're amused…" Naruto said, adopting a thoughtful look on his face. "The only time you were perhaps disturbed was when you were told that Pain was responsible for killing Hanzo and everyone else who was related to him…" He paused. "That is something else, isn't it? By doing so, he insures that no one from the Hanzo side raises up to challenge his rule or seek revenge because he removed them all."

"It's nothing but brutality." Jiraiya said in a firm tone. "There was no reason to think that they would have tried to avenge him… Still, I've really found it hard to believe that Hanzo could be defeated… even if that someone is the leader of the Akatsuki."

"Just because you Sannins couldn't defeat him doesn't mean that a single man could not defeat him. Humans can achieve so many things, our motivations differ, and when we have the passion and of course ability, we can do miracles. Life is interesting in that way, Jiraiya. At some point, the limits are our own bodies, and thoughts…" Naruto stated calmly before adding. "You cannot put a limit on people and say this cannot be done, because humans will surprise you."

Jiraiya eyed the blond for a long minute. This was perhaps the first time he was having a conversation like this with Naruto. The blond never really went this far with him when they talked. It helped him get a bit of understanding in how the blond viewed other people. It was interesting but curious as well.

"I wonder if what you said is really affecting the way you think." Jiraiya said.

Naruto smiled. "It is something that I never thought possible but perhaps the biggest evidence of my naivety when it comes to certain parts of life. I have never claimed to know everything, but I never thought that I could make mistakes that could prove damaging. Well, these are just the things that make life interesting."

Jiraiya really wanted to know now more, but they still had a task they had to face in the name of Pain. The man was worshiped as a god by his people and he did defeat Hanzo. He had to be strong.

As they came across a secluded location surrounded by tall buildings, Jiraiya looked up sensing that they were facing enemies up ahead.

His eyes nearly widened upon recognizing Konan, and the Rinnegan. But what surprised him was that he was seeing two Rinnegan wielders. There shouldn't be two of them but just one. If he was seeing Konan, and the Rinnegan, did this mean that the other man with long hair was Nagato?

But how could that be? He had thought they were dead and the cloaks they were wearing clearly showed that they were of the Akatsuki. So, Nagato was the god and Konan was the angel? What had happened to his students? What really happened to them? Jiraiya wasn't angry, but he was disappointed that the loving children he had trained had turned out like this.

"Konan; you can stand back. I will handle them but just to be on the safe side, be ready for anything." Nagato said through the Animal path.

It didn't matter if he was seeing his sensei as the intruder. He came out here to kill the intruder and take the Kyubi for his long-life goal of peace. Jiraiya was not an ally, he had to be removed. What the man did for them had to be put aside, at the moment, peace took priority.

"What are you going to do, Pain?" Konan asked.

"We are going to kill Jiraiya and take the Kyubi. It should be easy to get the rest of the Bijuus once we have the Kyubi in our possession." Pain responded calmly. "This isn't the time for regrets, Konan. We have already come this far, there is no turning back."

Konan merely nodded and looked at Jiraiya for a moment before making a distance away from Pain.

"Konan… Nagato? What happened to you? Why are you with the Akatsuki?!"

"We started this organization for the sake of peace, Jiraiya-sensei. I did not think that we would meet again, but you're here as our enemy and that must be dealt with."

Jiraiya shook his head. Was this really Nagato – the soft child who had told him that he would find a way to bring peace in this world? Was this the cry baby who was now speaking in such a cold tone that made him feel slightly small? Could people change like this? Orochimaru had always been twisted, so the Sannin was out of the picture as an example of how people could change.

"Peace? How can what the Akatsuki is doing bring peace, Nagato? What you are doing is wrong. There can be no peace in it but just more conflicts!"

"These conflicts are what will teach people pain. For this world to grow, it needs to know and experience pain. I was a naïve child, but when I experienced pain, I grew up, not just to be a man, but a god. I will teach this world pain as a god of peace."

Jiraiya found this a little amusing. These were not the words he thought would come out of Nagato's mouth. What really happened to this person?

"I never thought you would become a twisted person like this, Nagato…" Jiraiya said with a shake of his head. "My intention here was to investigate more about the Akatsuki and take care of its leader. I never thought that I would end up facing my students."

The Toad Sage said as he prepared himself for a round with the two Pains -looking directly at him.

There was no need to continue talking anymore. They just had to fight. Talking wasn't going to solve anything anyway. At this moment, Naruto felt it was nothing more of a nuisance that was getting in the way of the day's mission. They had to fight here, unless this talking was going to get through the thick skull of the man behind the Rinnegan, then could talk.

Given his responses so far, it didn't appear likely that talking was going to take them to that road.

It was alright nevertheless. Naruto had come here prepared to fight.

Jiraiya could have his moment with his long-lost students after the mission. In this one, they didn't have to kill the man. A bit more talking after they have fought would do. It would be beneficial to make use this power that has Ame worshiping the man. If it could bring a change that would urge humans who think twice about the way they lived, then he would be happy.

"Can we get this going, Jiraiya?" Naruto said to the Sannin, whilst preparing hand seals.

Before the Sannin could respond, Naruto was already releasing his jutsu. " **Futon: Ressenpu**!" The blond released a powerful stream of wind from his mouth. The wind blasted towards the two paths standing above the two Konoha nins.

As the powerful jutsu neared them, the two pains leapt to the sides with the other flashing to its right and the other to its left. Naruto's jutsu hit the steel wall of the tall building, creating a loud boom as the wind's power powered through the wall.

"Oh…" Jiraiya started with a smile. "You're showing your true colours now." He said of Naruto using his wind element from the get-go. It wasn't something that the blond usually did, but the sannin knew that wind was Naruto's strongest element. He had trained with the blond after all.

"We are not going to go anywhere if we fool around." Naruto said lunging towards the Preta path.

Konan decided to get involved as well even though Naruto had told her to say away. She thought it was perhaps better for them if they fought together because Nagato had only brought out two paths to fight. They could not just underestimate these two like that.

The Angel of Amegakure flapped her paper wings and appeared just above Naruto, blocking his path. Without even saying a wind, the woman's paper wings started releasing paper formed as arrows in quick succession. She wasn't just releasing a couple, but many of them that made it impossible for Naruto dodge in his position.

" **Futon: Great Wind Breakthrough**!" The Uzumaki released powerful gusts of wind without even the use of hand seals. The wind was released quickly to counter the incoming paper arrows that would surely leave his body bleeding if they hit them.

The paper arrows collided with the gusts of winds, halting for a moment, but Konan kept firing them without pause. Naruto couldn't keep up with his jutsu for far too long and was forced to use Shunshin to get to the ground with enough speed to avoid getting cut by the arrows when his jutsu stopped protecting him.

Naruto didn't even have the time to look up when he landed on the cold ground in one knee. The many paper arrows were still being fired towards him and with nothing in between him, they appeared in a menacing form. Naruto was forced to roll over to the side to avoid the jutsu before abruptly getting up with a twirl, hands clasped together.

Before he could even release his jutsu, the Preta path sneaked up on his left side. The path of pain was slightly above the ground, its right foot weaving through the air as the man aimed for a high kick towards the blond's face.

Naruto was caught off-guard by the sudden attack. He cursed, he had been focusing on Konan's attack and forgot about the Pain – a childish mistake that he shouldn't have made. Naruto could only watch as the paths brutal foot slammed straight onto his forehead.

There was a brutal sound when the kick connected with his forehead. Naruto winced when the brutal attack picked him up from the ground, and sent him flying backwards. The blond tried flipping to gain his balance but he was unable to stop his body from crashing into a large steel wall with his back.

He still had no time to massage his pained body as Konan kept with her attack. Naruto reacted in an instant before the paper arrows could reach him. The Uzumaki released a stream of flames from his mouth without even doing hand seals. The flames were quickly showered with the paper arrows, only managing in stopping to the projectiles from hitting the blond before Konan decided to stop her jutsu.

Feeling relieved that the woman had stopped her Jutsu, Naruto slid down the ground knowing that he would not have been able to keep the fire jutsu going for more than a minute as it would have been a crime against his chakra.

He still had a plan though, not to defend but to counter attack the moment he was free. The reason he had chosen fire wasn't because he believed it was stronger against paper but because he knew it would block Konan's and the Preta path's view of him, giving him the chance to make a move.

The moment Naruto's feet touched down the ground, the Preta path's feet slammed down, as if it had crashed from above. The path had appeared instantly without a warning and quickly grabbed Naruto by his throat before lifting him up into the air.

 **Earlier with Jiraiya**

The Toad Sage simply shook his head as Naruto went on the offensive. Well, Nagato didn't appear as if he was going to listen to reason. He just had to do this even though he had a feeling that this was going to be a challenging task, they still had to do this. He had Naruto anyway, so they could win this fight.

Without further thought, the Sannin lunged towards the other pain in a blur. When he neared the orange haired Rinnegan wielder, he clasped his hands together whilst still in air. "Let us see how you have really grown from just being a man to a god, Nagato!" The Sannin shouted, with a hint of a smile.

His hair suddenly grew long before speeding towards the Animal path. Within moments, the path was entangled by the string of hair. It had looked so simple that Jiraiya wanted to question but first he wanted to see what would happen if he applied a firm hand.

When he tried to strangle the path, it exploded in a puff of smoke, revealing it was a clone.

"I'm over here sensei." Nagato said, standing atop of a green lizard, which was holding onto a steel wall, facing upside down.

The animal wasn't the one which attacked the Sannin but another large animal suddenly appeared, speeding through the wall before jumping towards the Sannin. Jiraiya quickly retracted his hair before forming a clone. The clone quickly propelled him up into the air. This little escape allowed him to avoid the animal.

The clone was the one that was crushed by the animal's claws. Instead of bursting into a shower of blood, it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

" **Big Ball Rasengan**!"

The Toad Sage formed the massive Rasengan whilst still above the crab. As gravity started pulling him downwards, Jiraiya controlled his space and sped up before slamming the jutsu onto the large crab. There was no explosion of anything when the powerful jutsu collided with the crab. There jutsu just forced both to plummet to the ground in speed.

When they crashed into the ground, that was when the explosion occurred. It was resounding explosion that tore through the ground, lifting chunks of metal. The crab could not hold on for long and ultimately disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Before Jiraiya could focus on Pain once more, he was forced on the defensive when he felt slight tremors as a giant Ox darted towards him. Despite its ridiculous size, the Ox was really fast. Jiraiya leapt into the air to avoid the giant beast.

It had been bent on slamming him with his head, but when it missed him, it could not stop its movements that easily. It ended up crashing into the sewers.

Before he could even start looking for Pain, Jiraiya's eyes snapped as he heard a bird chirping… a large bird flapped its wings as it sped just above him in blinding speed. the Sannin felt the powerful gusts of winds it made as it moved past him.

'Shit…' Jiraiya cursed when the bird dropped something like an egg, but he knew it was not. He cursed once more when the object glowed as it neared. And then it went boom! The Sannin was caught in the explosion while still in flight, but he was able to burst out of the explosion unharmed.

There were only a few cuts on his clothes.

The Sannin landed on ground safely and moved his eyes around. AT some point, Nagato had disappeared. He couldn't see him even now. The Sannin frowned slightly. He was not winning this battle and why was Nagato even fighting like this? The Nagato he knew excelled in every form of Ninjutsu.

 **Meanwhile with Naruto…**

Even though the path had lifted him up into the air with just one hand and was strangling him, Naruto still smiled. The path nearly widened its eyes when the blond suddenly burst into flames. However, that was because of the surprise of not having seen the blond replace himself with an exploding explosion rather than the fear of being harmed by the explosion.

Naruto appeared in a blur just behind the path. He did not show his surprise when he saw the path clearly absorbing the flames. He didn't let it hold him back from making his attack. The blond Uzumaki swung his sword with his right hand. The sword horizontally cut through the air in blinding speed. It was also coated with wind, enlarged in a way the human eye could not see.

Even if the path managed to leap forward, it would still be cut because the sword was much longer with wind than it looked.

Naruto's eyes were left slightly wide when the path ducked under his blade whilst simultaneously twisting around. The blond just watched as his blade cut above the path. It wasn't even looking and yet it had dodged? No one had that kind of senses. If anything, it looked as if it had developed a pair of eyes from its back.

The path's right foot swept through the ground before hitting Naruto on his feet. This caused the blond to go off-balance nearly falling but he did not fall because he was then slammed hard on his chest by the path. The kick was brutal, and Naruto coughed up when it connected.

Naruto felt like cursing when more papers sped towards him as he was still being carried by the momentum of the kick that collided with his chest. He only folded his hands across his head, shielding himself from the raining papers.

Unlike before, these were not just arrow papers –these were explosive papers. As soon as they hit the blond, they set off an explosion of flames that rocked through the area.

The Preta path neared the flames knowing that such a small explosion would not be enough to take down a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. This was just the beginning of the battle, there was still more to come.

The Asura Path joined the party. It appeared just away from Nagato and stood above on high ground before speaking to Konan. "You can step back Konan. The others are on standby should there be a need."

Konan merely nodded and made some distance between herself at the battles. She was just going to watch from afar, but if she was needed she wouldn't hesitate to get involved. Well, it has never been the case with the Nagato. He has after all never needed her help to get out of a tight situation.

When the flames died down, they revealed Naruto – he was still on his feet holding his sword. The blond Uzumaki threw a smoke bomb down into the ground. The bomb exploded, creating smoke around him. He wanted to try something before he could go on with which strategy he needed to use. Still in the smoke, he created a clone and sent it out.

The clone Shushined behind the Preta path accompanied by gentle winds. Before the clone's feet touched down the ground, its sword was swung straight across the air, heading towards the path's neck with the intent to separate its head from its shoulders. But as it did last time when it wasn't even looking, the path avoided the blow by crouching down.

When the clone appeared behind the path, Naruto used wind to blow the smoke towards the Preta just to cover his movements. So when it crouched down and the Smoke was clearing, Naruto was on knee holding his blade with his right hand; its tip was pressing against the palm of his left hand, with the back of the hand glaring back at the Preta path's forehead.

"Extending Blade" Naruto didn't even wince when the jutsu pierced through the palm of his head. Since it was invisible as it strikes, even though the path appeared to have eyes on the back of its head, Naruto knew it would not be able to dodge something it could not see. Only once his jutsu had hit could it be seen.

The Extending blade took less than the blink of an eye to reach the Preta path and within seconds, it had gone through the path's forehead piercing through the back of its head. The path blinked as the wind blade started to become visible with blood dripping from it slowly.

Naruto didn't have the time to admire the work of his jutsu. He was forced to flee the scene when a missile crashed down where he had been crouching. The missile exploded as soon as it hit the ground, but Naruto was already gone.

The moment the blond landed, he flipped to the side, turning around to face the path that had attacked him. But it wasn't coming after him; it landed just beside the Preta path's body and collected it before leaping away.

When Naruto saw that his next opponent had seemingly disappeared, he shushined towards Jiraiya.

A giant Ox and a Rhino surrounded the Sannin. "You seem to be having a tough time…" the blond Uzumaki commented with his back against Jiraiya's.

"At least I am in a better condition than you…" Jiraiya said, seeing that the blond was bleeding was sporting several cuts on his body. "Your opponent gave that much of a hard time?"

Naruto didn't deny that. "Yes, but when you're facing an opponent who can absorb chakra, and seems to have eyes at the back of his head, it isn't something you can get out of without a scratch. Your only chance is to hit him with an attack that he cannot see."

"You showed that… you really ought to teach me that jutsu… maybe tell you the secrets to my hair jutsu." The Sannin suggested with a grin. He wasn't going to deny that Naruto's jutsu was lethal. It was short-ranged to maybe medium range, but the fact that it was almost impossible to dodge for a normal person and that if targeting the right place, one touch you were gone.

"I'd like to join you on being care free but we still have challenging giants to deal with." Naruto said.

Jiraiya nodded. "The Ox has no other abilities that I have seen. It is likely just going to charge ahead. Given its size and speed, if we move out of the way, it is going to collide with the Rhino and then we can apply the finishing move."

"Lure them in, then." Naruto said calmly.

Jiraiya switched sides with Naruto and faced the angry Ox. The Sannin waved his hand with a grin. "Come here boy!"

Naruto just shook his head when Jiraiya said those words; no matter what, Jiraiya would always be Jiraiya – the self-proclaimed super pervert. He formed a Rasengan, knowing which jutsu he needed to use to get rid of the two animals.

The Ox let out a grow as it released some steam through its nose before darting towards the two Konoha nins. When the two giant animals neared them, both leapt into the air. The giant Ox tried to hit the brakes when the Konoha nins disappeared but it could not stop. Its giant head slammed into the head of the Rhino.

When Naruto looked down, there was a screeching sound, coming off from the wind blades spinning furiously from the palm of his hand. Naruto's jutsu was already completed by the time gravity started to pull him downwards. Jiraiya didn't wait to see what Naruto was going to do with the jutsu, he Shushined away, getting the feeling that the jutsu was dangerous.

the blond Uzumaki hurled his jutsu straight down towards the heads of the two animals below him. The jutsu reached the animals before they could separate after their clash of heads. The jutsu suddenly expanded when it crashed down before exploding into a powerful force of violent winds. The explosion of pure power covered a large radius as the thousand blades tore through the two animals.

Nagato was quick desummon them.

Before anything could happen, Tendou and the five appeared, once more again standing on high ground. "That is a rather nasty jutsu." Nagato said. "For a Jinchuriki, you're different as you depend on your own power rather than that of your Bijuus. It has been rather impressive so far."

Naruto stared at the path he had killed. He was sure he had killed it before that other one took it. How could it back to life? The blond could not believe what he was seeing. He knew it wasn't an illusion. The man he had killed had been brought back to life.

The Uzumaki had his reasons to stare, and Jiraiya had his own.

He was staring at Yahiko. How come Yahiko had the Rinnegan as well? How were they even six Rinnegan users in this place? It shouldn't be possible. And even with all the summons that he has been fighting, they have all been sporting the Rinnegan.

"Yahiko, how come you have the Rinnegan?"

Nagato spoke through Tendou. "There was once a man with that name, but he died a long time ago."

Could Nagato really speak like that? Jiraiya turned to the path he had been facing. What had brought him to say that it was Nagato. That was not Nagato. The redhead had been different from that person. Was it simply because he had addressed the man as Nagato and he had responded without suggesting that he wasn't the person?

If that wasn't Yahiko, who was it? Jiraiya could never forget. He had lived with Yahiko for three years; he could never mistake his body. He was seeing the body of Yahiko, not someone else. It clicked on Jiraiya's face that he was some of the Shinobi with the Rinnegan, were people he had met in the past, but they were all dead.

Did it confirm that even Yahiko was dead?

"Who are you really?!"

"We are Pain, we are god!" All six paths said in union.

"Jiraiya; I had killed one of them, you saw it as well, but now it is alive and there are six of them. I have already burnt a considerable amount of chakra… If we are going to win, I will to use the Kyubi's chakra." The blond said to the Sannin.

"If you had signed the Toad contract when I gave you the opportunity to do so long ago, we would be thinking of entering Sage Mode together. But no, you refused." Jiraiya said. "To enter Sage mode requires time, and now there are six of them, I don't know if I will be able to get the time to do that. Which really paints a bleak picture."

"This Sage mode, how powerful is it?"

"You just need to see it." Jiraiya said calmly.

"Let us try to thin down their numbers and then I will give you the window frame to enter Sage Mode, if possible. If not, we will just have to make do with what we have." Naruto said. "But we must be fast. I don't wan-"

The blond could not finish his sentence because the six suddenly crashed landed around him and Jiraiya, surrounding them with piercing gazes.

Naruto was first to leap into the air when the Pains surrounded them as it was the only way to move out of danger sight. Allowing himself to be boxed like that wasn't going to make things any good. It was like being backed into a corner and he would have paid a hefty price of pain for it.

Jiraiya clasped his hands, seeing Naruto out of the way. The Toad Sage then released a stream of flames from his mouth. The flames shot out straight towards Tendou. The Sannin didn't stop there: as he was still releasing his jutsu, he twisted around, firing the flames all around to all paths.

" **Shinra Tensei."**

Tendou released a directed blast concentrated towards the Sannin. His jutsu clashed with the flames slamming them back towards Jiraiya. Seeing his flames being directed back towards him, the Toad Sage disappeared via Shunshin.

Naruto looked down the ground and saw that the paths were still focused on Jiraiya. He took out the three-pronged kunai and threw it towards the Path he had killed earlier. He already knew it could absorb chakra, so fighting with it was going to be a problem since his skills were Ninjutsu focused.

Naruto held out his right hand, quickly forming a Rasengan. He then vanished in a flash of yellow, teleported to the kunai had he thrown. The Kunai wasn't meant to hit the path, but the still avoided it by sidestepping it. the moment it zipped past the path's head, Naruto appeared in a flash of yellow.

As he twisted around in mid-air, trying to slam the Rasengan on the back of the path, he was almost left puzzled when the Preta path fell forward to avoid being hit by his jutsu. It wasn't possible when the path hadn't seen him attacking. Yes, he did spend a couple of seconds twisting around after he appeared, but it hadn't been even looking for it to avoid his attack.

He wasn't even afforded the space and time to think about the development he had witnessed; The Asura path launched a missile directed towards his chest. Naruto didn't have the balance to try to avoid it. In his position, he couldn't even do any jutsu to block the missile.

The Uzumaki was just fortunate that he still had his Rasengan on the palm of his hand. He moved his hand quickly to intercept the missile because it could explode on his chest – which would not have been healthy for him. The Rasengan collided with the missile head on before the jutsus exploded.

Boom!

Naruto was blasted away from the explosion, but before he could go any further, the Animal Path flashed above him. As it attempted to slam its heel on the defenceless chest of Naruto, Jiraiya appeared on the side with his right foot already moving in blinding speed. The man's foot hit the path on the right side of its chest, sending it flying away from Naruto.

Before the Sannin could even grin at Naruto for saving him from another attack, the giant bird let out a shriek as it dropped three bombs before breezing past. Jiraiya cursed knowing that if he allowed the explosion to hit him, he would not get out of it without any scratch. He also had to think about Naruto as well.

The Sannin's hair grew rapidly as the first bomb went off creating a chain of explosion that blinded the paths the view of their opponents with a cloud of flames and black smoke just above them. But when the flames cleared, neither Jiraiya nor Naruto were anywhere to be seen.

"Tunnel." Tendou stated, having seen the two.

Jiraiya and Naruto were indeed in the lightly dark tunnels. The latter was panting slightly, bruises all over his body; he was learning against the walls of the tunnel, with Jiraiya also sitting beside him, spotting a couple of bruises around his body, but nothing severe.

"I guess the sixth sense was spot on." Naruto stated once he had recovered his breath.

Jiraiya nodded. They had felt that they were going to face an incredibly powerful opponent who would not be easy to defeat. The Sannin was sure that if he was alone, the chances of surviving would have been rather low. Not to say that they were doing any better now even though it was the two of them.

Things still looked bleak and they had to think of something fast or else they would only become worn, decreasing their chances of victory.

"I guess so." Jiraiya responded. "I never expected Nagato to have become this powerful though. It is almost scary. We haven't been able to deal any lasting damages to them."

Naruto nodded. "Did you notice it though? They seem to be able to dodge attacks when they are not looking… but when you look at it, one of them is always looking. It is quite possible that they have a shared link to their eyes. They do possess the same doujutsu after all."

Jiraiya frowned. "I've also realized that all these are dead shinobi I have met in the past and none of them is Nagato. However, I can confirm that Nagato was the one who wielded the Rinnegan. I don't really understand what is happening…"

"You called one of them Nagato since we met them but they have never disagreed with what you calling them Nagato. You've only trained Konan, Nagato and Yahiko, yet these others still call you sensei. Could it be that Nagato, who we can't see at the moment is the one controlling them?"

"A possibility but I don-"

An explosion tore through the tunnel, right behind the two. It had occurred unexpectedly and neither had sensed it. The force of the blast forced the two to slam into the other side of the tunnel on their fronts. Jiraiya sensed a path lunging through the hole created by the explosion and moved away.

Naruto made a split-second decision when he sensed the path: there was no time to summon a kunai or his sword. Besides, the path would notice other movements and he wasn't even sure if he was being watched by another path or not.

Naruto placed his index finger just above his left shoulder, and lined up his target as the Path's forehead.

" **Extending Blade** " The Uzumaki released his deadly jutsu through his shoulder. Within a second, a thin line of wind that matched the size of his finger pierced through the Path's forehead.

Jiraiya just had a sense that Naruto did something when he saw small bubbles of blood bursting on the back of the path's forehead.

The Toad Sage didn't waste a second to attack on the opportunity given to him. "Hair Needle!"

It was his fasted attack so he didn't have to worry about trying to cut the distance between him and the path.

Hair needles shot towards the path in blinding speed. The path was still caught up by Naruto's jutsu to do anything. The hair needles ended up piercing through its body, creating small holes that were not visible to the naked eye.

Blood stains became visible within seconds.

Naruto sensed something. He narrowed his eyes towards Jiraiya. "Behind you!"

The Sannin didn't have the time to react as another path appeared behind him out of nowhere. The path twisted clockwise with its right leg raised high. A powerful kick slammed on Jiraiya's back.

The kick forced the Sannin to fly over the path he had just attacked because of the power behind the kick.

Naruto response was lightning fast. He would not let the path take the one they had just defeated. Not when he knew there was a chance that it might be brought back to life.

The blond twisted anticlockwise whilst stabbing his right hand forward. He grabbed the path behind him by its cloak before dashing towards Jiraiya.

The Sannin had recovered his balance now and was speeding by Naruto's side, heading toward the end of the tunnel. Jiraiya looked at the path Naruto was dragging and asked. "Isn't it slowing you down?" He asked, knowing that there was a path chasing them from behind. They would not be able to get too far with the path chasing them like that. They couldn't even hide themselves.

"Doesn't matter." Naruto was quick to say. "The last time I killed one of them… the other fetched the corpse and the next time I saw it, it was back to life. I don't want to see something like that again."

Jiraiya simply nodded. He understood where Naruto was going with this. He wasn't going to allow one of them to get their hands on their kill. They had to turn it to ash to make sure that it wasn't revived. Surely even the Rinngean would not be able to revive something that had been turned to ashes.

When the two jumped out of the tunnel, they were welcomed by four missiles. Both had cursed as they had the same thought that if their suspicions were correct, the path behind them must have used its mission to coordinate with the others waiting at the end of the tunnel. It could tell when they were coming out and the launched an attack they would not be able to dodge.

The missiles exploded after seemingly hitting the two Konoha nins. There was a huge cloud of flames above the ground that burnt for a couple of moments. As it was still burning, both Jiraiya and Naruto suddenly began falling from it – Naruto was still holding the path they had killed.

The path wasn't in a good condition. Half of its body was missing. Naruto had used it as a shield when he saw he missiles. the blond was panting slightly as he dropped on both his knees, bruises all over his body. Jiraiya was next to land, on his knees as well; he too was panting slightly.

"At this point, I won't be able to enter Sage mode." The Sannin said. "They were not giving us a chance."

Naruto looked at the path they had killed carefully. At least they had managed to remove the one with the troublesome summons. As far as he could see, there summons were all gone. That was at least something good for them. There were just five left out and they were already starting to feel the effects of the battle.

Well, the man wasn't worshiped as a god for nothing. Looking at the paths, he could tell they could continue with the battle all day long. He could fight; he was an Uzumaki and above all a Jinchuriki. That was a good combination for him. The question Pain was asking wasn't one if endurance nevertheless: it was whether he could even survive the next minutes.

Naruto did a quick fire jutsu to incinerate the path on his left side. The flames lit around what remained of it.

"I see." Tendou stated as the remaining five gathered around him. "You have discovered one of our abilities, but not everything. Even so, it is meaningless before overwhelming power."

The only reason those two would risk carrying the Animal path was because they had figured out that he could revive it if its body remained. With things like this, he would have to get another body to replace the path he had lost.

"How are your wounds?" Jiraiya asked Naruto. To give them a chance to kill that path, Naruto was using some damaging jutsu to get the drop on the paths.

Naruto looked at his left hand: the Kyubi had already healed him. The wound on his left shoulder didn't matter much, it was a small one but it still pained him. "I will be fine." He responded calmly. "Our focus has to be on those five."

"I'm just making sure you're fine. You know, your mother will kill me if something happens to you…" The Sannin paused as a thought came to mind. "Besides, didn't you say that knocked up Sasuke's mother?" The Sannin said that with a grin despite their situation, he could still smile like that.

Naruto shook his head. "If you cannot enter Sage Mode, I must use the Kyubi's power. However, we must first get rid of the one that absorbs chakra. Assuming that each pain has a unique ability, I can let it loose without worrying about my chakra being absorbed."

The blond stood up and went through hand seals. "First, we break their formation and blind them. We have no choice to act at full speed; otherwise, we will not win this battle." The moment Naruto finished saying those words, crimson chakra started to bubble around him slowly. Three tails formed behind.

"I thought you were not going to use that power until we get rid of that pain." Jiraiya said. He knew that if Nagato absorbed that kind of chakra, it would be game over for them. It would have weakened Naruto while strengthening the enemy and that would not spell good news for them.

"I just need to use the chakra for the jutsu I'm going to use. I would rather not use my own chakra… "Use this chance to summon the Toads for your sage mode."

" **A kiss of the Wind God"**

When Naruto finished saying those words, Jiraiya noticed something; the wind around him was starting to change and he could see it visibly. But that wasn't the biggest change that even caught the pains attention; the biggest change started with the a violent vortex above the sky. The rotating winds started affecting the atmosphere in a deadly way.

The tall towers coming into contact with the rotating winds started to tear off as the winds pulled everything it came into contact with. The village may have been filled with large skyscrapers, but the monstrous beast that was in the sky let out a loud howl that caught the villagers' attention.

Tendou looked at the sky as the jutsu slowly descended. It was tearing through the structures around it, pulling the chunks of metal within it as it slowly fell upon them. He could see through his gut as it digested everything that it swallowed. IT didn't make him smile, this was just dangerous.

This was something one called a force of nature… yes, a natural disaster.

Boom!

As he was busy with his thoughts, the tower on his right exploded when it could no longer resist the violent call of the tornado. Tendou frowned as pieces of steel started falling down the ground. He no longer had any summons with him, and that wasn't something that could be absorbed. He could use Shinra Tensei, but for it to be effective, he would have to inside the jutsu.

As confident and powerful as he was, Nagato knew an attempt to do so was just suicidal. He was going to be ripped apart if he tried entering the jutsu.

Tendou's eyes widened when the vortex suddenly flashed down within a second. It had happened so fast… he was expecting it to come down slowly given its size and the fact that it could not be compared to a jutsu but a natural disaster. The other paths made a haste of escape to avoid being hit by the violent vortex of wind.

Boom!

There was a loud explosion that tore through the ground, it even shook the ground slightly. Large chunks of steel and earth was picked up, flying into all corners as the wind rotated dangerously. The tower that had exploded earlier came into contact with jutsu was literally ripped apart pieces by pieces as the jutsu wreaked havoc on the ground.

Knowing that the paths wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him due to the sudden movement on his jutsu. The powerful gusts of winds and the pieces of metal flying all over the place wouldn't make it easy for them to keep an eye on each other. Naruto had created the jutsu specifically because of its destructiveness. He reckoned he would be able to take the pain that absorbed chakra and maybe another one.

Before his jutsu slammed into ground, Naruto had already made his move, timing the Preta path. So when the pain leapt into the sides to avoid the deadly jutsu, the blond suddenly flashed behind it. He stabbed his blade forward, and it pierced through at the back of its neck before it could even do anything.

" **Extending blade**." Naruto released his jutsu and it pierced through its throat. He didn't stop there. He removed his blade before twisting around. A single slash weaved through the air, avoiding the gusts of winds around it and cut through the pain's neck, separating its head from the shoulders.

Before Naruto could do anything, there was another explosion much more powerful. The result of the shockwave slammed the Preta path right into him, sending him flying backwards.

Tendou had released a Shinra Tensei while at the centre of the jutsu. Remarkably, the centre had been a bit safe. He had to thank being hit by the jutsu to be able to enter the space. The jutsu he released blasted the winds to all sides, breaking its rotation. This forced the pieces of steel that were within the rotation to blast into all directions, some hitting other buildings around.

It was just chaos and Nagato had done so it stop the jutsu seeing that it wasn't going to stop before it swallowed everything.

However, the results of his jutsu were the pieces of steel flying into all directions. The Naraka path was caught up in the path of a steel pole. the pole pierced through its chest, forcing the path into a wall. It was hanged on the wall, with wall keeping it in place.

It took a couple of minutes for everything to calm down.

A bleeding Naruto was sitting on the ground legs stretched with is back pressed against a metal wall. He was breathing heavily, with his cloak shred to pieces. He had still managed to remove the pain he had attacked; however, he was not in a good condition because of the unexpected jutsu from Pain.

"You have done quite the damage to my village." Nagato said through Tendou. "I knew you were powerful, but I did not expect something like this. In any case, it seems that this is far as you can go…"

It had exceeded all expectations. He didn't think that the blond would be able to do something like this. There was still Jiraiya to worry about, but this was still something to applaud of the blond. He didn't have the fame that came with being powerful, but the god of peace had seen it today and would acknowledge.

The remaining paths gathered around the Deva path. The Asura path tore off its torn cloak and produced a massive chain saw. "Bansho Ten'in."

Naruto could do nothing as Tendou pulled him towards him, with the Asura standing in front with its weapon ready to pierce through him. The Uzumaki tried to resist by channelling chakra through his feet but Tendou only increased the power behind jutsu, quickly pulling the blond into the waiting blade of the Asura path.

The Asura path seemingly pierced through Naruto's chest, but the blond burst into a murder of crows.

"I see. This is different from what Itachi used to do. You use your jutsu like how Konan can turn her entire body into paper… You can turn your body into crows when you can longer avoid a jutsu…" Nagato stated through Tendou. "You really have an impressive Ninjutsu arsenal. Had you not been a Jinchuriki, you would be an ideal partner to the Akatsuki."

Tendou heard a chant and looked through one of the tunnels. "Jiraiya-sensei." He muttered calmly.

The Asura path's chainsaw was replaced by a bazooka cannon. The path held it firmly before firing a pale blue blast that sped through the air, heading towards the direction of the sound, Nagato was certain it was Jiraiya. The blast hit the tunnel, and exploded into flames, tearing through the metal tunnel.

A moment later, Jiraiya slammed into the ground. the Toad Sage literally crashed into the ground, lifting small amounts of debris. He was already on Sage Mode, with the Sage Toads on both his soldiers, hands clasped together.

Seeing the destruction around them, Fukasaku wanted to ask about the kind of battle they were fighting. A normal human could not cause this much destruction. Because he was focused on releasing the genjutsu Jiraiya had cried for them to cast the moment they were summoned, he could not ask.

" **Magen: Gama Rinsho!"** Once he was synchronised with Shima, the two released the demonic illusion. The sound based doujutsu trapped the three remaining paths in a powerful illusion they could not escape.

Jiraiya was finally able to sigh in relief when the genjutsu was a success.

"It looks like Minato-chan's son was caught within it." Fukasaku said seeing that the blond was within the range of the sound genjutsu.

Jiraiya shrugged carelessly. "Meh." The Sannin said. "He will be fine." The Toad sage said. "We should focus on handling those three."

"You just have to deliver the finishing blow, Jiraiya and hurry up, I want to go home and gather ingredients for tonight's dinner!" Shima shouted at the Sannin, even though her voice wasn't coming out effectively because of the genjutsu they had just released.

The Super pervert merely shook his head before walking over to the three paths – who could not move because they were trapped within their mind by the demonic illusion. The Toad Sage stabbed all of them through the chest before giving the order for both Fakusaku and Shima to release the jutsu.

Naruto blinked as he crashed onto the ground. He looked around until he saw Jiraiya. "What the hell was that?"

Jiraiya grinned. "The Sound of our victory…" he said happily. "Thanks you two. I think we can handle things from here." The Sannin said the toads who just nodded before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Jiraiya was walking towards Naruto but was halted by Konan who appeared above them ready to attack. "I never thought that you would be able to achieve this, Jiraiya-sensei."

The Sannin twisted around to face the blue haired woman. He smiled though, even though he knew that Konan was ready to attack them at any second. "Well, a master will always be the master… Konan." He said with a grin. His expression then turned serious as he spoke. "Where is Nagato? I want to talk to him."

"Considering what you two have done, I cannot let you do that, sensei. I must finish you off myself."

Jiraiya raised both his hands in surrendering. "I don't want to fight you, I don't want to fight, Nagato, Konan. We won this battle, and I just want to talk to him. I want to understand why things turned out this way. It is never too late, Konan. Please, just allow me to talk to him."

Konan wasn't going to allow herself to do that. Jiraiya had shown that he was willing to kill them, as Nagato had been willing to kill the Sannin. Besides, they still needed the Kyubi's Jinchuriki for the Kyubi.

Nagato spoke through the Naraka path, which was still pinned into a wall. "It is alright Konan. They won… as long as it is just to talk, you can lead them to me."

"Are you sure, Nagato?"

"Don't be like that, Konan." Jiraiya's mood had flipped once more. "I'm your sensei… surely you can trust me. Was I ever dishonest with you guys?"

Since Nagato had said it was fine, Konan nodded. She didn't say anything to them. She just turned around without saying anything that they would follow her.

Jiraiya faced Naruto for a moment before turning around. "If you don't want to follow, you can stay here and I will fetch you after I'm done talking to Nagato."

"You know we would not have won this battle had I not pulled my weight." Naruto said as he stood up. He could live another day. He needed a good rest though. The blond tested his muscles for a bit before walking towards Jiraiya.

 **A couple of minutes later**

"It has been long, Jiraiya-sensei." Nagato said as soon as the Toad Sage walked into his presence along with Naruto and Konan.

It was still a surprise that he had lost in his battle against the two, but it happened. They had been stronger than anticipated and he couldn't have thought that Naruto would prove as decisive as he had was. Well, 'Madara' had said that he should be wary of the blond.

Jiraiya looked at Nagato, surprised to see his current state. The mechanical walker and the rods behind him. It was something that he didn't expect. He was expecting to see Nagato with the full use of his legs and every part of his body as Konan was still in fine shape.

Could this have something to do with how things turned out with them?

"What happened to you, Nagato?" Jiraiya asked. He could get the other things out of the way later; he just wanted to know what had happened to the kind and gentle Nagato he had trained long ago.

Nagato looked at Konan for a moment before turning his eyes towards Naruto. The blond didn't appear to be armed to attack him, neither did Jiraiya. Perhaps they just wanted to talk to him. But was there really anything to talk about? Even so, if they attempted anything, Konan would react and he wasn't going to give out so easily.

"You don't know what happened with us, sensei. I guess I should tell you." Nagato said. "We followed your teachings and started the Akatsuki with Yahiko as our leader. We were doing good and gained many followers and allies in our mission to unite this land. We even gained Hanzo's acknowledgement. We were happy thinking that we were finally doing something for Hanzo to acknowledge us.

"We realized that it was naïve of us to think that Hanzo would really acknowledge us. And that was the mistake we made. In thinking that we were going to start something with him, Hanzo betrayed us along with Danzo of your village. Because of this betrayal, Yahiko died and I was left in this condition.

"The pain I experienced forced me to grow and throw away my childish dreams. The Akatsuki could not change anything as it was. I have already told you that the pain I felt forced me to mature. Our dream is to stop the cycle of hatred through pain. This world is in constant conflicts, shinobi always betray each other, and the hatred never stops."

Jiraiya was silent for a long minute, thinking about what Nagato had really said. "Did you really think that you could bring peace by teaching the world, pain?"

Nagato stared at the man. Was he being rhetoric? If he didn't believe that he could change people through teaching them pain, he wouldn't have even started on this journey.

Jiraiya shook his head, realizing that he had asked a stupid question. "Nagato, as your sensei, I am really disappointed that you turned out this way. For some time, I had thought that you would be the child of prophecy because of those eyes. Even in your current state, you still displayed so much power. Without Naruto, we wouldn't have won the fight, and if you were in better shape, you would have won the battle.

"You wield great power Nagato and I believe that it is for a purpose. It is not too late to change and use your power for good, Nagato. I won't tell anyone about your identity, you can still go back Nagato!" Jiraiya more or less pleaded.

"There is no going back, sensei. This is the only path to peace."

"I believe there is another way to find peace, Nagato."

"You have not found that answer, sensei. Can you really say that you will ever find it? Can you really say that there is another way to stop the hatred?"

It was at this moment that Naruto finally found his voice. "I understand why the Kyubi did not want to tell me about this thing. Nagato, what do you call the statue you use to seal the Bijuus?"

Nagato blinked. The Uzumaki was taking them away from the conversation he was having with his sensei. But it was an important question nevertheless. Nagato didn't find any reason to hide the truth. It wasn't like it was going to change anything and they were being civil here.

"The Gedo Mazo. Only the Rinnegan can control it, but I would be lying if I say I know everything about it."

Naruto frowned. "How did you know about it?"

"I was told of it by 'Madara'. He is the one who told me a lot of things about the Rinnegan."

'Kyubi, you and I will have a good talk soon; You will tell me what you know. I will not hesitate to get inside your head to get the information.' Naruto said mentally before responding to Nagato. "Madara is dead. I'm sure you're talking about that masked Uchiha. In any case, I'm sure he has his own agenda as well. You're not stupid, you should know that as well.

"While I cannot say that my desire is peace, I want a more 'light' world that isn't dominated by hatred and the wrongs of men. Your power will be useful in achieving that dream. I'm sure we can work together…" the blond said turning away. "Ah, I will return shortly. I must murder that masked Uchiha for what he did. I'm sure he will make an appearance once he notes something is wrong. I will talk to you in Konoha, Jiraiya. I still have personal things to sort out."

Jiraiya was quick to try to stop Naruto. "We still haven't had our talk. I was really looking forward to it."

"Talking to your former students is much more important. If you can pull of a win, I will appreciate it. You want to use the chance to get closer to me, but I have always told you, I don't hate you…" Naruto disappeared along a silent breeze.

"Your student?" Nagato asked.

"Something like that. I did train him a bit but he doesn't acknowledge me as his sensei." Jiraiya said with a pout.

"He isn't like you, sensei. I get the feeling if he was one of us, he would be fighting to the bone for our cause." Nagato said calmly.

"You don't know how correct you are." Jiraiya said with a thin smile. "Naruto has some darkness in him, it is frightening. And considering what he just pulled from the sky earlier, I have one more reason to be afraid." The Sannin paused before adding. "You can say that if he had lost his mother, he would have become something even scarier than you. Though, I don't think I will ever fight someone as powerful as you, Nagato."

"If you say such things about him, why does he say he wishes for peace?"

"Because he wants that kind of world… Only he can tell you the real reasons, but he truly does want a kinder world. I don't think I have seen anyone who hates how humans live more than him. He understands how people think and operate. Therefore, I will tell that if you talk to him, you can achieve your dream, Nagato."

"…With a person who can't let go of his anger?"

"I told you, Nagato, he isn't a nice person. I think he is just afraid of turning 'evil'. Naruto still has his mother… that is like Yahiko to you."

 **Dang… I only noticed that the whole Amegakure thing took the whole chapter after I was done with it. I'd started the chapter with scenes in the Hidden Leaf, doing all whole reaction to news thing, but I ended up taking the whole chapter in the battle against pain. The whole chapter ended up taking up to 17k words. Because of this, I was forced to remove the Konoha scenes and put them into chapter 30.**

 **I believe I'd told some of you that things would happen in this chapter with regards to the pregnancy thing… apologies, you will have to wait for the next chapter to see the reactions.**

 **In any case, I hope the chapter wasn't a disappointment.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Although he was tired and needed a long sleep, Naruto had not rested. He could sleep during the night and he wouldn't be against using pills to force his mind to rest. The situation he had to deal with the now that he was back was troubling him. Mikoto was still pregnant and he still had to face the harsh reality of his teenage fun. It was no longer the time for regrets; he had to think about how this was going to influence his life.

It was really going to change things in this life.

It was safe to say that he would have to rethink his life strategy because he now had to accommodate the child Mikoto was carrying. it hadn't been part of the plan but he had to include it. He wasn't that of a horrible person that he'd wish for something bad to happen to Mikoto so that he could hide the results of his misbehaving hormones.

Yes, he was calling it that because it had occurred without him thinking it was possible.

He had been thinking of taking things slow or just ending them with the Mikoto, but how could he think about it now when this has happened?

"You're rather quiet today, Naruto." Kushina said to her son.

It wasn't often that he allowed his thoughts to drift off like this when they were having dinner. Naruto always gave his full attention when she was in the room. Something was going on inside his head. She wasn't going to ask much about what was wrong. If he wanted to tell her, he would tell her.

Naruto's eyes snapped towards his mother before a smile slowly formed his lips. "I had a long day. My body is still feeling the effects of the battle I had with the Akatsuki's leader."

A long battle it had been. Had the situation been any different, he may have been forced to flee with his tails between his legs. Nagato was strong, even though he was a cripple.

"You should have rested like I told you to." Kushina said.

"I wanted to spend some time with you." Naruto said with a smile. there was a chance that he would not have this time from tomorrow with what Mikoto was going to tell her.

Before he had visited anyone upon his return to the Hidden Leaf, he had gone to the Uchiha, just to clear up things.

If Naruto were to be honest, the reason he had gone there was to check if she was still pregnant. But he had ended up talking to her about the pregnancy and the need to break the news as soon as possible. It would be a problem if his mother learned about it from another source. It would be a betrayal. it was better to tell her. Naruto had agreed with the plan, but he wasn't going to do the talking.

He was just going to stand in the side lines and watch.

In this case, it was convenient for him to say 'it is better to give the adults time to talk'. Besides that, he could say he was all but just a foolish teenager who didn't understand things about life but only saw the world through his narrow and twisted angle.

"In any case, it turns out that the leader of the Akatsuki is an Uzumaki and someone Jiraiya had trained for three years. He called them the Ame orphans."

Kushina tilted her head to the side. "Oh, them." She said with a smile as the thought clicked. "He often spoke about them…" She said and then frowned at the implications of Naruto's words.

Someone that Jiraiya had trained had turned evil and that person was from her clan. It was just ridiculous to think about. Kushina never thought that anyone taught by the Sannin could turn evil. He may have his faults and flaws, but Jiraiya was a kind and peace-loving person. Surely, he would have drilled the thoughts of peace to his Ame students as he did with Minato.

"You don't have to worry, mother." Naruto said to his mother. "He is still alive and I left Jiraiya trying to get him back to the path of good. If things turn out okay, you might meet someone from our clan. For now, we know that there are two members still alive. We don't have to count much on Nagato because he is the leader of Amegakure, but with the one Orochimaru has, we can hope to get her one day."

Kushina smiled. "That is wonderful, Naruto. I was starting to think that we wouldn't be able to find any other members of our clan. This means that there is a chance that there are more out there. We can really restore the Uzumaki." The redhead said with a clap of her hands, and a wide smile on her lips.

Naruto nodded, smiling.

It was always a joy to bring such a smile on his mother's face. The matter of the rebirth of the Uzumaki clan was important for their family.

"Am I the only one missing something here?" Yugao said. "I don't want to ruin the mood, but do you think that the other Kages will simply let something like that slide? He was behind the Akatsuki and committed crimes against their villages. Tsunade wouldn't even shield him. If she did so, Konoha would become enemies of other great nations."

That would certainly go against everything that Naruto wanted. He had yet to even meet Kurotsuchi to talk to her about his ambitions.

"They don't have to know that Nagato is the leader of the Akatsuki." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. "If we don't tell them, they won't find out. Nobody even knows his real identity, not even the people of Amegakure – a village he leads. It should be well."

Yugao shook her head. That was so like Naruto. She didn't even have a comeback for it.

"On another matter," Kushina said not bothered by the fact that Nagato was the leader of the Akatsuki. "Kakashi came by and said you invited him over to the Senju compound."

Naruto nodded. "I figured since he was lonely, he could get a house in the compound. It's not that he will be part of the clan, but our friend. I thought it would bring him some joy and perhaps make him think about a family of his own if he stayed with us."

Kushina smiled. She didn't have any problems with Kakashi. He had been around, Minato's precious student. Yugao even liked the respected Jonin. It wouldn't be so bad and she was sure that Minato would be pleased. He had done everything he could to try to bring happiness in Kakashi's life. If Minato was following the same path, how could she protest that?

"Just make sure he doesn't bring his books into the compound." Kushina said in a warning tone. "I don't want anything corrupting my dear son. If he does, I will punish him."

Naruto smiled, he had missed that side of his mother.

The smile slipped through a second later. His mother didn't know that he had already gone into the dark path. He wasn't innocent anymore.

It tore him knowing that he was making live so ignorantly of the reality. What had she done to deserve this? She has overlooked his often-cold intensions for the sake peace and this was how he repaid her?

The rest of the dinner went peacefully.

Kushina didn't stick around for too long. She kissed Naruto good night and went away. The blond didn't linger around the dining table for far too long either. He motioned for Yugao to follow him to the study. Once the woman got inside, the blond closed the door and locked it.

"Is something wrong?" Yugao asked as he moved closer to the blond.

Naruto held out his right hand, to stop her from getting any closer to her. "It is better if you don't come closer." He said. He tilted his head to the side, thinking of a way to say this but he found one. "Mikoto said she is pregnant and she isn't just bluffing. I spoke to her before I left to Amegakure and upon my return."

Yugao blinked. She opened her mouth to say something but no word came out of her mouth. She shut her mouth and stayed silent for a long minute.

"I shouldn't be surprised but I am." She said. "I don't really pity, you Naruto. Then, what is going to happen to us, and when is your mother going to be told?"

"Nothing changes with us, and mother will be told tomorrow."

"I want no part of it." Yugao said in a dead serious tone. "If I have any say in it, I will not defend Mikoto. I told you before you left Konoha for the training that she was looking at you with some indecent thoughts and this has happened. Obviously, she was watching, and waiting for you to grow some furthers before she could pounce. I will not defend the morality of her actions.

"But know that your mother is going to be hurt, Naruto. Not just by Mikoto's betrayal, but by your willingness to go through this. To her, you're still just her teenage son. This is why she even tells you how much you must drink and only on special occasions. This is going to shatter her, and I want no part of it."

"That is rather cold of you." Naruto said with an expressionless tone.

Yugao shrugged. "I just don't want to be responsible for hurting the woman who has been nothing but kind to me. Besides, this will affect my relationship with you. I won't be able to get rid of that woman now…" The woman said with a frown. "I said I could give you family, who could have thought that she had already beaten me to the punch."

There was nothing but bitterness in Yugao's tone.

 **The Following Day**  
 **Around Noon**

When Mikoto walked into the house with a smile – a smile he could tell was nervous, Naruto failed miserably in trying to clear the air within his lungs to avoid looking her in the same way. She had said she was going to come so that they could tell his mother, but it suddenly felt soon.

Naruto really didn't want to go through it.

His mother was going to be shattered. Yugao had made it abundantly clear last night. Naruto really would not know what to do if that happened. He hoped that his mother would just say a few words, but not plain disgust over his actions.

"Yugao." Mikoto greeted the woman with a smile.

The former Anbu nodded and returned the smile. She looked at Naruto for a moment; he looked pitiful but she wasn't going to pity him.

Yugao turned back to Mikoto. "You came to deliver the news." The purple haired woman stated. "I never thought I'd see an Uchiha looking nervous though."

Mikoto smiled. "We are not all the same, Yugao. People tend to generalize things when dealing with members of the Uchiha clan. We are all different in our own ways. Perhaps our pride is one thing that connects us, but each of us has something unique about us."

Their pride made them appear to be the same in their actions but being an Uchiha Mikoto knew first-hand what really went around within her clan members. A person from the outside could not know more than she did. She has lived with all different kinds of Uchihas in her house.

That aside, Mikoto was a little surprised that the woman wasn't glaring at her. She thought Yugao would be glaring at her after Naruto informed her of her situation. Well, she has been involved with Naruto the longest, so she would not have any reason to be angry.

Well, it would not necessarily change things for their relationship. The only thing that would change is that if the woman had been thinking of getting rid of her, there would be no other way now. She had to live with her for the rest of their lives. Yugao would also not be the one to give Naruto his first born, but she would.

"Itachi used to say that in Anbu days." Yugao responded. "I'll go call Kushina. I'm sure she is going to be devastated though. I won't be cynical enough to suggest that you did this on purpose knowing that it was the only way you could stay in Naruto's life."

Naruto said nothing as Yugao walked away, going to call his mother. The blond looked at Mikoto, but he didn't say anything to her either.

It was becoming difficult to speak to her. It was a different matter now knowing that she was carrying something inside her belly and that something was going to make him father.

A god damned father. He wasn't really looking forward to that kind of responsibility and he wasn't sure how he was going to behave because he was just clueless with this whole thing.

He didn't have a father growing up. He had a mother but that had been enough for him.

"I haven't told Sasuke, yet." Mikoto said to Naruto – there was no emotion in her tone as she spoke. "I was thinking it would be better if we spoke to him together. You know he is going to overreact when he learns of it. At least if you are there when I tell him, I can at least diffuse the situation so that it doesn't become bloody."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he looked back at the woman. "Do you really think that he would go that far? I know he can overreact, but resorting to make me bleed?" The blond shook his head. "Wouldn't it be taking it too far? But then again, it is your son; when it comes to emotional outbursts you can never really measure him."

"I know him and he will react in a certain way." Mikoto said. "It is better we speak to him together."

Naruto appeared to think for about a couple of moments. He wanted to remind the woman that she was the one who dragged him into this mess and had it not been her, they would not have been in this situation. He didn't have to help her explain it, but since he didn't say no to it and did enjoyed the moments, he could not say anything like that.

Besides, they were both adults. At least, one was much older and should have taken much care. Naruto wasn't blaming Mikoto nevertheless. He was responsible. He was the one who got all excited and poured his juices into her.

"If he makes a move, I will have to act decisively. After that battle with Pain, I'm not really looking forward to any more brutal battles." Naruto said. He looked up the stairs, hearing the footsteps of both his mother and Yugao's. He said nothing further as he waited for the two to come down the sitting room.

Upon seeing Mikoto, Kushina smiled. "Mikoto…" She said happily. "This is something different. I don't think all four of us have sat together in one place. Sasuke is the one who is missing in the picture. We really should have moments like these." The woman said before sitting Naruto.

Mikoto smiled. "It would be something special and it would perhaps revive the old days you used to have dinner at the Uchiha compound on some occasions."

"Those were good days." Kushina said with a warm smile. "It is a pity that nothing really lasts forever in this world. I had planned to live the rest of my life with Minato, but things happened, and he is gone. It was just Naruto and me but now we have Yugao and soon Kakashi will join us. Life is interesting in that way, things never really remain the same."

Mikoto nodded. "I came here today because I have something to tell you. It is important."

Kushina tilted her head to the side. Mikoto's tone was strange. the emotions in her voice were mixed, she could not really tell anything. She turned to Yugao – the woman looked blank, and Naruto was just stone faced. She went back to Mikoto. "What is it?"

"I'm carrying Naruto's child, Kushina."

The redhead Uzumaki looked at Naruto and then back at Mikoto before bursting out in laughter. "Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha." She laughed hard. But her laughter soon died when no one laughed with her… they all looked serious. Mikoto wasn't making a joke.

She had slept with Naruto.

Her teenage son.

Because of it, she was pregnant.

The woman was impregnated by her teenage son, a child in the same age as Sasuke!

Kushina's laughter came to a dead end. A look of disgust flashed over her face for a second before she stood up. She didn't say anything to anyone, she just started leaving.

"Kushina, wait!" Mikoto called out as she rushed over to the redhead. She grabbed Kushina by her left hand. "Please say something…" The woman pleaded in a begging tone. "If not, at least allow me to explain myself. Please, Kushina."

Kushina returned with a back slap over Mikoto's face. There was momentary silence as a surprised Mikoto let go of Kushina and took a silent step back.

"What do you want to explain, Mikoto?" Kushina asked, in a deadly quiet tone. "Do you want to explain to me how you have been sleeping with my son? I'm not stupid enough to think that it was him who started it. It had to be you, Mikoto. You are my friend, and yet you did this, with my son. My teenage son who is the same age is your youngest son.

"Isn't this a betrayal of my trust, Mikoto? I trust you to look after my son, not sleep with him! I would be shocked and gripped with disbelief it is was Minato. That I could understand, even if Minato would not do that to me, and you would not go that far, but I could understand that. However, with my son, my teenage son? I cannot understand how you conceived the idea, Mikoto! What really went through your head?!"

Kushina turned around to leave once more.

But this time around, it was Naruto who tried to stop her. "Mother, please wait…"

"Don't mother me, Naruto!" Kushina shouted.

Naruto was baffled by that kind of response. Uzumaki Kushina had never raised her tone with him. She has never shouted at him, or even look at him with that look of disappointment. Never in his life had he ever seen this from his mother. It was shocking.

His beloved mother was disgusted with him, she was mad at him. This was reality. A brutal one.

"Don't think I don't fault you as well. It takes two to make a child, Naruto. You're not that weak minded that she could force you into it. You agreed to it. What were you thinking, Naruto?! She is Itachi's mother!" Kushina shouted once more. "Please, leave me alone. I need time to calm down and think, Naruto."

His mother has never requested time away from him. He was her beloved son. No matter what, he has always been there for her. It was because he was not the one who caused her grief. It was his fault this time, wasn't it? His mother was disappointed with him, she was angry with him, So much that she just wanted to stay away from his presence.

Naruto's world shattered.

When his mother stalked away, the blond took a couple of steps towards the exit before disappearing within gusts of wind.

Mikoto wanted to run towards the blond, but she was stopped by Yugao. "Just go home, Mikoto. Naruto will be fine. Despite everything, he is still a mother's boy. It must be a shock to him that his mother could shout and be mad at him. He must have thought it was something that would never happen."

 **A couple of minutes later**

 **Forest of Death**

"Naruto!" Sasuke roared angrily with his Mangekyo Sharingan blazing furiously as he charged towards Naruto with birds chirping on his right hand.

The Uzumaki did not respond to the shout. He didn't react to anything. Naruto was lost in a staring contest with the heavens. He could not feel the sense of danger when the Uchiha neared him with the intent to stab him with his assassination jutsu.

Because Naruto had no sense of danger and Sasuke wasn't just fooling around with the jutsu, the Uchiha reached the Uzumaki and stabbed his Chidori into Naruto from behind just below his right shoulder. The jutsu pierced through without any resistance.

Naruto's senses kicked in, but the pain had yet to register in his mind as his right hand snaked over his left shoulder and grabbed Sasuke by his face. It was so that he could block the view of the Sharingan so that the Uchiha could not predict the movement of his left hand.

Naruto's left hand went behind him, and placed his index finger on the Uchiha's belly. An extending wind blade, thin as a needle pierced through Sasuke's gut with speed. The Uchiha only felt the pain afterwards before removing his hand from Naruto and then leaping back from the blond to create some distance.

Sasuke didn't lose the mask of anger when he landed gracefully. He didn't even mind the small drips of blood that was reddening his t-shirt. He focused on glaring at the blond Uzumaki.

"How could you, Naruto? With my mother? What would you do if I did the same with your mother?!"

It was more than that to Sasuke. The Uzumaki kept taking from him. Sasuke could not forget that his father had favoured him when he was still younger. He had admitted once to his mother that if he could make the blond an Uchiha he would have done so. Itachi had also favoured him and now he was taking away his mother from him?

Naruto didn't respond, but he did narrow his eyes ever so slightly when the mention of his mother reached him. He slowly turned around to face the Uchiha, eyes a little clouded with mixed emotions, yet his expression was just stone cold. Crimson chakra poured out of the left side of his body and regenerated his body within seconds. It looked as if Sasuke hadn't done anything when the chakra was done healing him.

The blond summoned four kunais, two on both his hands. He coated them with chakra before hurling them towards Sasuke in blinding speed.

Despite their speed, Sasuke could still see them with his Sharingan. The Uchiha could see that two were aimed at both his shoulders, one straight towards his forehead and the last one towards his throat. Sasuke responded leaning back with his knees bent to give him some space. He watched all four kunais past just inches away from his body.

But before he could straighten himself, Naruto suddenly appeared behind him, slightly above ground with a Rasengan on the palm of his right hand. The blond slammed the A-rank jutsu straight on Sasuke's face, but the Uchiha suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly as Sasuke appeared behind in him a blur already in motion to attack. He didn't have time to block the attack as the Uchiha's right foot came crashing on his back. The foot collided with his back, and sent him plummeting down the ground in a heap.

The Rasengan hit first, destroying the ground as it collided with it.

Sasuke was upon Naruto a second later. The Uchiha landed on the ground gracefully with just one leg, his right was above the ground. He slammed his foot on the side of Naruto's body, sending the blond flying towards the side in speed.

Sasuke didn't stop there, he held his hands together and released a stream of flames from his mouth. The flames rushed towards the flying Naruto in great speed. The Uzumaki forced his body to twist in order to face the flames. He released powerful gusts of winds that tore through the ground, lifting up debris as they sped towards Sasuke's flames.

The two jutsus collided, creating a large cloud of intense mixed with violent gusts of winds. By the time their little battle ended, Naruto was already on the ground on one knee, with a tree just an inch away from him. He had avoided crashing into it – which would have been a painful experience.

Sasuke didn't waste time attacking when he saw that Naruto was on safe ground. He darted towards the blond in full speed. Naruto only looked up to him when he lunged into the air before a ribcage of his Susano'o formed, and then both its hands. Sasuke slammed the right hand down towards Naruto's form.

Naruto did not attempt to block the monstrous punch of the Susano'o. He would have been buried into the ground and his bones might have suffered the strain of trying to hold back something beyond them. Naruto fell to his right hand, before rolling away.

The punch pummelled the ground in a small boom just on his left side.

Naruto didn't pay much mind to it. He was still lying on the ground, facing Sasuke when he made his move. The blond clasped his hands together as he channelled wind around him. Sasuke was still above him with the Susano'o still activated when a small rotation of wind formed just above Naruto.

" **Wind Tornado**."

The rotating winds suddenly expanded before blasting towards Sasuke. The Uchiha crossed his hands together as he prepared for impact. He could see multiple blades within the tornado, so he could not afford to let it hut him.

The jutsu slammed into his Susano'o. It did not break through his defence but had enough power in it to push further into the air. Sasuke abandoned his Susano'o when he saw that the jutsu wasn't stopping in taking him into the air and he was losing sight of Naruto. Even in his anger, he knew not to lose sight of the blond, lest he live to regret it.

Sasuke landed on the ground without his Susano'o. His eyes narrowed in all fours with his senses stretched out to try to locate Naruto. His senses tensed when he felt something behind him. Naruto was lunging towards him. Sasuke saw the move coming and spun around anti clockwise. As he twisted, he raised his right foot, intent on smashing a high-footed kick to the face of the blond.

Naruto did nothing as Sasuke's foot collided with his face with speed, but the second it hit, the blond disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The real Naruto suddenly appeared via gusts of winds with his blade firmly on his right hand. The blond appeared just under Sasuke's raised foot. Before the Uchiha could even do anything, Naruto's blade touched his left knee. The moment it touched, Sasuke reacted quickly to jump flash away, but he wasn't fast enough.

The Uchiha cried in pain as he landed a foot away. Naruto had managed to pierce through his knee. It affected his mobility massively. Sasuke ignored the pain and glared at Naruto for doing this to him.

" **Amaterasu**!" The Uchiha summoned the jet-black flames in fury.

The flames burst around Naruto's entire body, causing the blond to cry out in pain as well. Naruto didn't have to think about the pain. He clasped his hands together.

Boom!

There was a powerful explosion that blasted everything away from him, including the flames. The explosion was like a shockwave, but it was a forceful burst of powerful gusts of winds that had enough power to root off the trees that were close by. Even Sasuke was blasted away by the powerful winds. They had felt like a violent force of nature.

 **Hokage Office**

"What the hell is that?" Tsunade demanded, seemingly to no one.

An Anbu appeared before her, kneeling just in front of her desk. "Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are fighting. It appears serious. One of them could die." The Anbu reported.

Tsunade was upon her feet within a second. "Take me there!" She demanded.

When they arrived, she found several other Anbu already watching, and two people she quickly noticed were Mikoto and Kushina but the two women were not standing side by side. Not only that both had worried expressions on their faces. The killing intent in the atmosphere was real.

Yugao appeared beside the Godaime and spoke to her in a whisper. "Please don't stop them."

"Why?" Tsunade demanded.

Yugao sighed. Well, it was going to come out soon anyway. There was no need to hide it from the Godaime Hokage. "Naruto is a little lost, his mother is not happy with him and Sasuke is angry that Naruto got his mother pregnant."

"Whaaat!" Tsunade shout caught everyone's attention but the fighting teens didn't seem to pay attention to it.

 **Back with the fight**

When things cleared down, Naruto was on his knees, breathing heavily. He was heavily burnt. The severe burns were visible all over his exposed body.

Slowly, the Kyubi's chakra started bubbling around his body until it had fully covered him. For a full minute, the chakra danced around his body as it worked around the clock to heal him. Once it was done, it quickly dispersed.

A bruised Sasuke didn't attempt to get back. His knee was badly wounded and bleeding. He could not walk like this. Nevertheless, it was not necessary for victory. He still had his Susano'o.

The moment those words went through his mind, he summoned the upper half of his Susano'o fully formed. The Susano'o materialized a bow and an arrow.

He was intent on hitting Naruto with it.

Without even getting up, Naruto summoned a clone. It would help him create his jutsu far faster given his current state. The blond held out his right hand and started forming his jutsu. As soon as the clone started pouring in wind chakra, and adding shape into the jutsu, a loud screeching sound started to come from the jutsu.

Naruto summoned his chakra before getting up. He took two steps forward before hurling the jutsu towards Sasuke. Sasuke armed his arrow with the flames of Amaterasu before shooting an arrow straight towards Naruto's jutsu. When the two powerful jutsu collided in mid-air, there was an explosion of gusts of wind and black flames. Neither jutsu broke through the other but they ended up cancelling each other.

Sasuke tried to look for Naruto knowing that he could not could hurl those jutsus towards him simultaneous and a jutsu that powerful had to have cost him a lot of chakra. Sasuke grinned when he saw Naruto on his knees once more, breathing heavily.

He took aim, but he wasn't able to shoot as his senses picked up something. Another Naruto appeared behind him holding out a blade. Knowing what was coming, Sasuke quickly turned to it. " **Amaterasu."**

The flames caught the blond, but he suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Before Sasuke could turn back, his eyes widened when his Sharingan predicted a movement, but given his impaired mobility, he could not move fast enough to avoid the attack.

Naruto was standing behind the Uchiha, holding two swords, each with its tip pressed against the Susano'o. His most fast and perhaps deadly attack was released from both swords and it pierced through both the Uchiha's shoulders. As blood started pouring out, the Susano'o started to disperse.

The moment it was done, Naruto lunged at Sasuke. He picked up the Uchiha by his neck, from behind.

Naruto slammed Sasuke to the ground in brutal fashion. The Uchiha's hit the ground first with his face and then the rest of his body followed. He winced as the pain jolted through his body. He wasn't even given time to nurse his aching body as Naruto suddenly kicked him, turning him to the side. The blond then stomped his right foot on Sasuke's chest in the most brutal way possible.

Sasuke cried when the foot collided with his chest. The blond had stomped on him as if he was something else, no longer human. The attack caused Sasuke to raise his head slightly in a knee jack reaction – he coughed out a mouthful of blood from his mouth before his head slammed into the ground once more.

Naruto stared at the Uchiha with an expressionless face, eyes slightly cold. He placed his sword on Sasuke's throat, intending to release his wind jutsu to pierce through it.

Tsunade didn't give the order, so none of the Anbu felt compelled to do to anything before the Uzumaki could kill the Uchiha. The Godaime just watched, perhaps a little shocked at what was happening before her very eyes. They should have been still celebrating the death of Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, but Konoha's young talents were killing each other due to personal reasons.

Perhaps the shock caused her inaction.

Kushina didn't wait for anyone to do anything. "Naruto!" She shouted, running over to her son. "Please, Naruto, stop!" Kushina said in a pleading tone. The sadness in her tone was evident to those who heard her voice.

The sadness caused Naruto to snap out of his trance. Without even stepping away from Sasuke, Naruto's head turned towards his mother. Their eyes locked. Naruto saw her eyes, the sadness, and the grief she was feeling over what had happened. Did she blame herself for what has happened? Naruto wanted to rush over to her and tell her that it wasn't her fault, it was his fault. He was to blame, not her.

He was the bad son.

As if a robot, Naruto stepped away from Sasuke, and walked, a bit robotic, slowly as he did towards his mother. He had thrown his blade away from his hand.

it was the pain and tiredness that caused him to walk as he did but he wanted to meet his mother, he wanted to feel her warmth, he wanted to apologize for causing her pain.

Seeing her son, bloodied, torn, and with nasty burns all over his body hurt Kushina. She wanted to cry, but held herself. How could that talk have led to this kind of situation? Her son was in this kind of pain now. She could tell, he was in a lot of pain now.

Sasuke gritted his teeth seeing that the person who nearly killed him had turned his back on him. Hadn't the blond the one who had drilled this into him 'never turn your back on your opponent?' However, he had done just that. That back of his was wide target for him.

Clouded by the anger and the uncontrollable emotions building up on him, Sasuke summoned all the chakra he could, forming a Lightning Blade on his right hand. He forgot about the pain on his knees, and pumped up chakra into it as well as his right shoulder, just so he could land this one last blow.

Even though there were trained Anbu and professionals who could sense danger miles away, neither reacted in time when the Uchiha lunged at Naruto. Perhaps it was the shock, the fact that they had thought it was over, or that the Uchiha would never attack a comrade from behind, especially with a jutsu that could end his life.

But Sasuke did that.

"Sasuke, don't!" Mikoto shouted, her reaction was far faster.

It was the sound of her crying voice that even snapped Naruto's attention away from his mother. But by the time he sensed what was going on, Mikoto was already standing behind him, her back against his, and Sasuke just away from her. The Lightning Blade striking towards her belly. The Uchiha had wide eyes, but he could not stop the jutsu from hitting his mother.

At that moment, he was certain; he was going to kill his mother.

Naruto's reaction was instantaneous. He waved his right back behind him, acting as if he was going to slap Mikoto with the back of his hand, but an invisible force of wind hit the woman. The force hit her dead on, sending her flying to the side. Naruto hadn't measured anything; his focus had been to get her out of the way from the jutsu he could sense.

Mikoto did not hit the ground or anything; she was caught in the gentle grasp of Tsunade. She had been told the woman was carrying a child, it would be reckless to allow her to fall in the pace she had been. A lot has happened, but she didn't want to jeopardize the young's life after everything.

Kushina's eyes widened in shock when she saw Sasuke's hand sticking out of Naruto's gut. IT had happened so fast for her, but she was shocked. Her body trembled violently when blood started gushing out, not only from his wound, but from his mouth as well. The life in his eyes dimmed slightly.

Kushina's heart raced as she rushed towards her son.

Sasuke removed his hand from Naruto's body and took a step back. His body trembled. The anger that had driven him to act had now disappeared, a look of shock and fear had a firm grip on him. Naruto wasn't healing. The crimson chakra that had popped up and regenerated his wounds wasn't healing him, it wasn't doing anything.

The Uchiha's rush of adrenaline stopped, and the pain came back at full force and he fell on both his knees.

Naruto only took a single step forward before his mother caught him, but the blond could not balance himself and so, he fell on her. Kushina didn't have the energy so she fell backwards with Naruto landing atop of her. Her eyes widened, when she felt Naruto's blood dripping from his mouth dropped her face.

She brought out her hands they two were painted red in blood.

Naruto's eyes were now closed. "I-Im sorry, m-moth…" he trailed off as unconsciousness gripped him.

Tsunade made sure Mikoto was safe before moving to Sasuke. She grabbed him by the throat, strangling him in anger. She nearly crushed his throat in her anger, but she stopped herself. Instead, she slammed him down the ground with all the energy she could muster.

She turned to her Anbu. "Take him to Ibiki!"

Mikoto tried to get up to plead for her son. "But his wounds!" He may have gone too far but he was still her son. She could not simply watch him being taken away from her without putting a fight. What kind of a mother would that make her?

"I don't care! He isn't dying anyway." The Godaime barked forcefully. "Take him away now before I smack him six feet under!" The Anbu didn't waste a second, they quickly took away the Uchiha.

Tsunade rushed over to Naruto, her hands already glowing green.

 **A week later**

Tsunade stretched the curtains to the small room within the hospital, allowing the sun to get inside the room. She stared at the outside for a moment before shaking her head. The Godaime Hokage turned around and faced Naruto – who has been in the bed for at least a week now.

At least there was no one by his side today. She was tired of having to order the people closest to him to go home and get some rest. She had to end up knocking out Kushina when the woman wouldn't leave her son's side. Well, the situation had been bad that she had to sweat hard when closing his wounds. He even still had a scar on his body.

Well, he would show it to the child Mikoto was going to be giving birth to and tell that child that it was the wound his/her brother gave to him when she realized that the child had been conceived.

Tsunade stared at the blond for a long minute. How had he even managed to do it though? Mikoto was even older than Kushina, sure, she still looked great, but she was his mother's best friend and his partner's mother, yet he got her pregnant. He was going to be a father of an Uchiha.

The Godaime shook her head before walking up to his side. Her right hand glowed light green as she placed her fingers on his forehead. When she removed her hand, the blond's eyes slowly opened.

Naruto groaned as he tried to get up.

"I wouldn't move carelessly if I were you." Tsunade said in a stern tone. "You still need to stay here for a day or two before we can release you. You did suffer a life-threatening wound. If I say another person would have died from that wound, I would not be exaggerating."

This was the reason she had instructed her Anbu to take Sasuke straight to Ibiki for some 'treatment' of his. They were solving their matters and perhaps Sasuke was finally letting all the pent-up frustrations he has been feeling because of Naruto's treatment towards him but it did not excuse him stabbing the blond on his back when the fight was over.

Naruto could have been killed.

Perhaps his lack of control over his emotions was the reason Naruto refused to treat him equally. Tsunade would not say the Uchiha overreacted. Her own reactions to some troubling situations would not make her a compelling judge of others.

Naruto's eyes turned towards the blonde Hokage for a moment before staring into the ceiling. "How long have I been out?" He asked quietly.

"About a week." Tsunade said with a bit of indifference. "I was even planning on giving you reward along with Jiraiya on your job well-done in taking care of the Akatsuki's leader, but things happened." She shook her head. "Couldn't you find girls your age?"

Girls his age? They were children who couldn't understand him or even handle him. It was all about fun for them and Naruto really didn't have the time to babysit children. Besides that, the thing with Mikoto had happened unexpectedly before anything and he found himself enjoying it. He could not tell the difference between her and a young person because he had never been with someone younger.

Mikoto was the standard.

Naruto hadn't been interested in learning anything about women before Mikoto opened his eyes. Had it not been for her, nothing with Yugao would have started because he would have remained ignorant and he wouldn't have given the thought of relationships any time. Mikoto made him think about them.

"They are children…" Naruto said. "Well, Ino is grown and her company isn't all bad. She is a rather attractive young woman… I wonder if her training with Sai is going well…" the blond then shrugged.

Tsunade shook her head. "Give it some thought, will you?"

"There is nothing to think about. What happened has happened. It cannot be changed and to be honest, I don't regret it in any way. What happened afterwards is a little regrettable, but I don't regret what I did with Mikoto. It was truly a life changing experience that opened my eyes."

"You sound like a love-sick child." Tsunade was quick to say.

Naruto turned to face the Godaime. "Are you mad that you didn't get the chance to be the one to open my eyes? It isn't too late to join the party. Though, I think this time around, I will be fighting with Jiraiya…"

Tsunade was a little caught off-guard by the statement but she quickly shook her head, snapping her thoughts out of it. "Don't even joke about something like that." She said sternly. "I'm surprised you make jokes though."

"I wasn't making a joke." Naruto said, staring at the Godaime with an expressionless mask.

"…"

Naruto smiled. "Of course, I'm just kidding… It is the bitterness I feel over the fall over that I need to find something amusing. That has never been a cue for problems. I have always considered plots as a way to correct some situations, but this one appears to be beyond me."

Tsunade shook her head.

"Why was I out for that long?" Naruto asked the Godaime Hokage. "It shouldn't have taken me that long to recover from that wound."

"That wasn't the only wound you suffered but I won't get to that." Tsunade said. "Why didn't the Kyubi heal you?"

"It said I would not die from that wound and the battle with Sasuke was over so there was no need for that. Besides, I think it was a little angry that I let an Uchiha get behind me. Since that incident years ago, the Bijuu has not been fond of Uchihas…" Naruto responded indifferently. "Besides that, you should know it was good for my health that I heal naturally."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at those last words. "So you do know what happens when the Kyubi instantly heals you like that."

Naruto nodded. "Of course, I do. I'm not a medic, but I have not been accused of stupidity. I would not use a power and not know how it affects my body. It isn't when it heals me, but when I use it in its raw form, it burns through by body like those flames of Sasuke and then afterwards, heals me completely.

"This reduces my lifespan each time it happens. Well, there is always a price one has to pay for great power. The Kyubi's power is still great and when I use it by forcing it out of the seal, it hurts me. This is one of the reasons; I have not been using it that often. I will still need to find a way to use it in a safe way."

"Is there really a need for that?" Tsunade asked. "The Akatsuki's leader is gone. We can just pick out their members one by one now."

The criminal organization had been the only thing that had been troubling them, so with them out of the picture, there was no need to have any fears. They could return to their peace. There were no troubles with any other Hidden village to suggest that there could be a war soon. They could just return things to normal after all these.

Since Konoha was also going to return the Bijuus that had been captured by the Akatsuki, they would earn a few favours in other villages. The Raikage wasn't the one who was going to say much because of his attitude, but Tsunade had no problems with the man nevertheless. Their history wasn't that bad, so they could maintain some relationship.

"We are living in the shinobi world, Godaime. Anything can happen. Yesterday, it was the Akatsuki, the next day it could be someone else. It is never wrong to be on the safe side of things." Naruto responded calmly.

"You'll just become paranoid if you think like that. It is true that most humans are corrupted to the core but it doesn't mean that we can't live happy lives."

"I didn't say you can't. Maybe i am just a little extreme in my ways."

Tsunade shook her head. "Get some rest. I need you operating at maximum capacity so that we can go to Kiri for our alliance and treaty negotiations. If things go smoothly, I will even let you handle things without my presence needed and leave the judgement to you on what to do."

Naruto raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He certainly didn't expect the woman to say something like that to him, not when she didn't trust him. Sure, their relationship was fine, but that didn't translate to trust. It was nothing more than an agreement between the two of them because even though they didn't want the same things, their paths still crossed in a good way.

"I did not expect to find myself in that kind of a role within the Hidden Leaf." Naruto responded calmly. "Well, I was planning on doing it, but not on official capacity."

Tsunade shrugged. "It would be a waste not to use your capabilities to get Konoha more allies." The Godaime said. "Besides, you have more than one reason now to stay within Konoha." She said with a smile. "Since now it is certain that you won't be going anywhere, I have no choice but to trust you with official work for the Hidden Leaf."

Naruto didn't find that a good reason for smiling. It was good for Tsunade but not for him. Naruto didn't like it one bit, especially since Tsunade was already highlighting it within just days of learning about it. There was no doubt she was talking about Mikoto and the child forming inside of her.

He wasn't going to leave Konoha with Mikoto staying behind. He would be forced to remain within the Hidden Leaf and work for its safety and smooth relations with the other Great Nations. The only good thing was that he wasn't dealing with someone like the Sandaime and that there was nothing sinister the Godaime was thinking.

"A little more of trust, huh?" Naruto said to himself. "I had planned on making a move on Iwagakure as well. Well, not the Tsuchikage. He is a stubborn old man. I'd end up insulting him if I had to face him. Same thing for the Raikage. On a good day, A is a reasonable person but there are some matters in which he can be difficult.

"In any case, I had planned on meeting with Kurotsuchi soon. I was simply waiting for her to leave the Earth country and then I could sneak up on her." Naruto explained in a light tone. "Out of all the villages, Iwa is the only village which can start trouble with us given our history with them. I thought if I was able to make something, it would avoid anything unnecessary in the future."

Tsunade stared at Naruto for a long minute before shaking her head. "Just focus on resting for now… we will talk about those things once you're out."

Naruto didn't respond to the instruction from the Godaime. "What is the official story?"

"A mystery." Tsunade said with a smile. "It caused me a headache but it has only been confirmed as an 'incident' nothing more and nothing less. We don't want to bring shame to the Uchiha clan. Mikoto isn't just a former wife of the Uchiha head, she has become the clan head. If something like this becomes known, it will not be good for her clan."

Naruto merely nodded. It was best that way. That probably meant he wasn't even going to say anything to anyone but this would remain a secret. People would wonder who the father is, but as long as Mikoto kept it tight, no one would validate anything.

The Child just had to be born with black hair and black eyes and everything would be alight.

When Tsunade left the room, Naruto threw the sheets away. He wasn't going to stay in the hospital because she had given him that instruction. He needed to go home and solve matters that needed to be solved. There were still going to be some boiling emotions that needed to be calmed before things could settle down.

He was even worried about his mother. She was hurt by his actions and he had to apologize for it. He had caused her much pain even though he had sworn to protect her. In the end, he was the one who hurt her more by being foolish and allowing the pleasures of being human to get the better of him.

Naruto shook his head as he got up. He winced, his stiff muscles locked up a bit. He was certainly not used to staying at one place. He was always moving about.

The blond Uzumaki sat at the edge of the bed. Before he could get out, Sasuke walked in the room, his movements uncomfortable and the knee he had damaged heavily bandaged. The Uchiha glared at Naruto for a moment.

Naruto was amused than anything. "You should get a walking stick for that one." The blond said in an amused tone. "Or is it perhaps that the mighty Uchiha doesn't want to be seen walking with a stick like an old man?"

Sasuke continued glaring at Naruto for a long minute. He waited for the blond to get out of the bed. Naruto stopped just in beside the Uchiha and pointed at the door. "Walk out. I cannot trust you with my back. Who knows, you might stab me again and this time, I may actually die."

"Your sarcasm isn't amusing." Sasuke stated in a bitter tone. "But you deserved it anyway. And I will not apologize for reacting the way I did. You crossed a line that should not be crossed."

He would not forgive Naruto for sleeping with his mother and getting her pregnant. He refused to blame her. She was a lonely woman and Naruto probably took advantage of her. It didn't matter what she said, but he would never forgive the blond. He would die resenting him for the sin he committed. Sasuke sure even his beloved brother would have been disgusted.

"I wasn't looking for an apology." Naruto said with a shrug as the two walked through the passages of the hospital – Sasuke limping all the way. "In some ways, I could understand your reaction. I had expected as such, but had I not been caught off-guard by my mother's reaction, I would have responded kindly.

"In any case, had it been me in your position, I wouldn't have just exploded in anger – I would have brutalised you and made sure that you never sleep with anyone again." The blond narrowed his eyes towards the Uchiha. "If you have those thoughts, crush them."

Sasuke snorted. "Regardless of how it looked, I won our fight. It was your fault for turning your back on me. Every shinobi knows not to show your back to the enemy. At that moment, we were enemies, you were just naïve… but I guess I took it too far."

Naruto didn't respond.

He stayed silent as they navigated out of the hospital. He stopped just after a few steps out of the building and closed his eyes enjoying the fresh air that did not smell sickness and pain. "It was rather brutal of you to set me alight with Amaterasu."

"Why are you complaining? You healed quickly and you're not limping. This is going to affect me for the rest of my life. I might not even fully heal…"

Naruto shrugged with indifference. "I could have just cut it off." The blond said.

Sasuke was just exaggerating. With Tsunade's skills, the Uchiha would be fine soon. It could be that she just wanted him to heal naturally.

Sasuke's Sharingan came to life and spun mercilessly for a couple of seconds. He was seriously contemplating on lunging at the blond. He could move without anyone stopping him. Naruto wasn't at full capacity, he could do some damage. He could even just set the Uzumaki alight again with the flames of Amaterasu.

"Just know that even though it costs me dearly, I can heal from burns; if I set you alight in your sleep, you won't heal." Naruto said in a dead tone.

Sasuke stopped walking for a moment and stared at the blond.

"Of course, I'm just kidding." Naruto said. "Then, what do you want from me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke caught up with the blond and then spoke. "What you did with my mother will bring shame to my clan and I will never forgive you for it. I will resent you for it even if I die, I will resent you in the afterlife. Even though I won't forgive you, I still want you to get on your knees, and apologize before our mother's."

"I will apologize but I will not bow before you Sasuke. You have not become lord of Uzumaki Naruto. I admit that things went out of hand, but if you're looking for me to kiss your behind, you can screw yourself because I will not satisfy you in that manner."

Naruto wasn't going to tell Sasuke that his mother was the one who undressed him and showed him everything. He wasn't going to be like that, he was going to accept responsibility for his part, but nothing more than that. Sasuke wasn't going to get worshiped because he has made faults.

Sasuke sighed. "I figured you'd say something like that. But I did not expect that kind of a language. Has being stabbed in the back affected your attitude?" The Uchiha asked. "If I had known, I would have stabbed you long time ago since you have always treated me like crap."

It has always been like that, hasn't it? He had never thought of changing it. Perhaps it was his clouded thoughts or something else. "When we were younger, you deserved to be treated like crap because you had a bothersome attitude. Maybe your growth made me a little envious of you. Unlike you, I have no bloodline, but must depend on the Kyubi's power when things get tough. There's that and maybe messing with you was just a way to confirm my superiority."

The Uzumaki shook his head. "For now, I have a lot in my mind. I must change my priorities and my thinking because I am going to enter a stage in my life that I didn't dream of entering. I guess for the first time in many years, I'm a little confused and unfocused."

"That I do not doubt." Sasuke said. The fact that the blond was even telling him this was proof enough. "It is still surprising though."

Naruto shook his head. There was nothing surprising about it. He had done something a child his age shouldn't have done. It was the low moral standards in the shinobi world, or perhaps with people. Had things been different with the way people chose to live their lives, how he chose to live his life, things wouldn't have turned out like this.

Perhaps he has grown conformed to the fact that the shinobi world is a world full of many flaws and a world where anything goes. But what was wrong with the world? Naruto had longed believed that nature itself wasn't corrupt but the people were the ones who were corrupt. This was why he sometimes entertained the idea of reducing the human population.

"Why did you come to see me, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Considering everything, things should be different."

"They are different: you're not talking to me like a child and you're not the one to hold grudges, so I don't think we are going to have a problem. On another matter, my mother has made it clear to me that you're going to be a part of our lives, so being repulsed by your very presence isn't going to do me anything. However, that doesn't mean that I plan on forgiving you."

Naruto smiled.

How interesting life was. He didn't think things would come to this point. Given the developments of recent, it was now apparent that he no longer needed Sasuke and he really had to pull through to change things. He had no other way of going about things.

It was no longer just his mother to protect: He had to think about Yugao, Mikoto and her child. Things were like that. A teenage boy was going to be a father with an old woman who was old enough to be his mother. How twisted were people?

No, how twisted was he?

Naruto found it bitterly amusing that he hadn't had a problem in sleeping with Mikoto. She had said that if it felt good, there was nothing wrong with it. He agreed with her, but now because she had something growing inside of her, he was starting to see the wrong side of it.

Wasn't he convenient?

The thought had a sarcastic tone in it.

"You've made your point clear." Naruto said calmly. "Can I go home now? I have a lot to answer for with my mother and sincere apologies to issue out."

Sasuke thought of rolling his eyes but he didn't –he just shook his head. "Home is the Senju compound. They moved out of your house two days ago."

Naruto nodded. "Before you go, Sasuke." Naruto said to the Uchiha. "Have our mother's spoke?"

He was worried about it. He didn't know what would have happened if they spoke. His mother was probably still hurt and angry and Mikoto would be avoiding his mother to give her some space. But in his return, they would be forced to confront each other.

Naruto was hoping that they had spoken and things were sorted out so that he didn't have to rack his head trying to solve the matters.

"Our mothers?" Sasuke asked. "Don't you mean your girlfriend and your mother?" The Uchiha asked in a bit of a sarcastic tone.

Naruto blinked at the response from the Uchiha. He certainly hadn't been expecting it since the Uchiha had given him the impression that he was the one to blame for this mess, not Mikoto. "I thought we were playing blame Naruto."

Sasuke glared. "It is your fault!" The Uchiha shouted. Sasuke quickly calmed himself. "It just ticked me off when you said that so casually. You know you don't treat her as my mother but your girlfriend. So, trying to play that card ticks me off."

Naruto stared. "Really, Sasuke? You want me to call your mother my girlfriend. You want me to come to your home and ask, 'yoh, Sasuke, where is my girlfriend?"

Lightning crackled on the palm of Sasuke's hand. He was glaring murderously at Naruto. "I swear on my brother's name, if you say that again, I will murder you!"

Naruto shook his head. "Enjoy your day, Sasuke…" He said turning away from the Uchiha. "You really have my sincere apologies."

 **End of chapter**

 **That ends the chapter. I wasn't sure on how to go about things between Naruto and Sasuke, but I thought things would be much more interesting if things went along this way.**

 **Thanks for the reviews.**

 **As I said in chapter 28, there won't be any chapter until August.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage  
**


	31. Chapter 31

In the end, Naruto found himself strolling towards the Uchiha compound instead of the Senju – where his beloved mother was waiting for him. Perhaps this was because of the change of priorities in his life.

He knew that his mother would be waiting for him and there were issues that would be raised once he got home, but there was another issue that he felt he needed to deal with before anything else.

Hence his appearance in the home of Sasuke.

It was a good thing the Uchiha wasn't home. Had he been here, things may turn towards another direction.

At least they appeared to have solved some of their problems. This way, he could still talk to the Uchiha, but at the same time, his language and tone would have to differ. Obviously, Sasuke wasn't going to take anymore crap from him.

Naruto sighed.

For someone like him, this was one blind situation he had gotten himself into. It wasn't the time for regrets though. He didn't regret his actions with Mikoto anyway. One way or the other, she had taught him valuable lessons in life and about women.

It wasn't just about getting naked and dancing around in joy, but there had been lessons she tried to impart on him.

He could say she had succeeded.

She hadn't been reaping anything from it though. He had turned out the gears elsewhere.

Perhaps it was because he had become so used to her that he no longer felt the need to express the little emotions he had. It wasn't the case with his mother, but she wasn't the person you wanted to compare with. His mother was everything after all.

"Naruto." Mikoto said, a sad smile on her face. She was standing just away from the entrance, having heard someone entering. She had known it wasn't Sasuke, so she had come to check. It could've been someone from the clan, who knew?

Naruto managed a smile, it was tiny, but a smile nonetheless. This was his fault. This wasn't the woman who smiled at him when she was lying in the hospital after Itachi's madness; this wasn't the happy woman who told him that she would help him enjoy life, the woman who told him that he was her hero.

This was another woman who was going through some difficult situation in her life. There was a lot that she needed to figure out. A lot she had to deal with and it was all because of their actions. They had walked into this hell butt naked and all smiles. There were still no regrets even.

It was quite possible that the lack of regrets caused the pain.

Consequences were never part of the plan. The intension was to enjoy oneself. But this was life; there were reactions to an action.

"I didn't think I'd see you so soon." Mikoto said. She assumed he had just left the hospital. Tsunade had said that she would wake him up today. Even so, she had thought he would be by his mother, sorting out their issues as he ignored her.

She hasn't even spoken to Kushina since the incident. She has not even tried anything. The past days have just been handling clan matters and taking some time to visit the blond Uzumaki. She had been careful so not to bump into Kushina along the way.

With how things ended, she didn't know how the woman would react in her presence. Kushina blamed her for everything and Mikoto could not fault the woman.

Had it not been for her, Naruto would not have faced a life-threatening situation and Kushina would not have worried. Sasuke had been close to mortally wounding her. The child she was carrying would have been no more had Naruto not pushed her out of the way.

Naruto didn't say anything in response. Even though this was Mikoto's house, he still led her outside – by the garden. The two settled down before the blond spoke.

"I'd decided to go home, but after meeting Sasuke, I figured that you were all alone. I will always be with my mother and she has Yugao to keep her company. I think Kakashi is already by the Senju now.

"You're all alone. There is no one you can talk to. Sasuke isn't the kind of person you can speak with about these issues. I thought it would be cruel for me if I just let you be. We are in this together after all. My mother isn't just mad at me, she is mad at both of us. You did not force me to do anything, I decided to go with it because I wanted to."

Mikoto really had no one to talk to, and that made it even more of a burden to her. She was touched that Naruto would think of her in that way. She hadn't thought that he could put her in such a place. The fact that she hadn't even expected to see him so soon after just being awaken spoke volumes.

She was touched, but Mikoto wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry in front of Naruto.

"I'm still clueless with some things, but this time in the hospital has given me time to think. I cannot pretend to understand what is going on inside your head, or how you feel. But that is the reason I have chosen to come here. I want to know, how can I be of assistance, Mikoto?"

To be honest, Mikoto was shocked. For a second, she had thought that this was just an illusion. There was no way that Naruto could say those words to her in his right mind, right? He was okay with her, but he wouldn't take it that far. He was still Uzumaki Naruto, Kushina's son after all.

Yet, no matter how many reasons Mikoto tried to give, the reality would not go away. This wasn't just an illusion, it was a hard reality.

It wasn't bad. In fact, it brought her joy. She now knew that Naruto wasn't going to abandon her. He was going to be by her side and that made her happy despite how surprising it was.

Mikoto smiled; a beautiful happy smile. She knew though, it wasn't because Naruto cared too much of her, but because of what was developing inside of her.

Mikoto shook her head. Naruto hasn't enquired anything about what was inside of her. He has only asked about her personal health. He wanted to know how she was holding up.

It was about Uchiha Mikoto.

"There are times you feel that you just need someone to hold you…"

Naruto knew that. He had gone through those occasions with his mother when she was crying. She had held him tightly in her pain because in those moments, she needed someone to hold her. It hadn't been pretty seeing his mother in that condition, but he had been happy that he was with her at all times.

"But right now, I just want you to listen… can you do that, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded. He could at least afford her that much. She was also going through a difficult time, if listening could help ease her burdens, then Naruto would do so.

Seeing him nod slowly, Mikoto smiled contently, but she didn't say a word until a minute or so passed –she was enjoying the peace that came with his response.

"That was the second time you saved my life and once again, it was from my own son. Sasuke's situation was different, but the picture is the same; there are two instances that my sons could have killed me and each time I was saved by you."

The first time it hadn't been out of concern for her safety or anything. He had done it merely to protect his mother and he had thought it was only rational for Itachi to do things in a different way than what Danzo was suggesting that he do; the second he had done it because, he had been genuinely concerned.

Nevertheless, because Mikoto said she just wanted him to listen, Naruto didn't say a word; he would only speak if she asks a question that wasn't rhetorical.

"I hope this one is a girl and doesn't end up doing the same as her siblings, because really, I don't think I could survive something like that emotionally…"

Although a couple of seconds earlier he had been thinking he wouldn't say anything, Naruto felt compelled to respond. Even though his response brought some fears in him, he felt it was the only right response that he had to give.

"If it becomes a girl, we will just have to raise her differently to guard against something like that. We must also ensure that she loves her mother as I love my mother. I feel that these incidents have taken away the love a mother would feel from her children, so, even if she does love you so much more that I become the side show, I wouldn't complain."

"You say that now, but who knows…" Mikoto said, smiling.

Naruto shook his head. "I want you to be loved by your own child."

He wasn't going to say, but, he could not give her sufficient love. Their relationship was dead. His mother would not permit it to continue.

Letting her being loved by her child was the best he could give and he would not take away that from her.

 **Senju Compound**

When Naruto walked into the compound, he couldn't help but the feel the difference between it and his 'house.' Besides that, they had moved without him. He was just joining his family after they had moved. The situation in which they had moved within didn't even make him smile because it was unpleasant.

He would have been happy if things had moved differently, but he had made a mess of things. His mother was displeased with him, Yugao was probably glaring at Mikoto.

Relationships that had been strong had been shook and he had to try to mend them. He had never done that part before. Starting them was his speciality, but trying to put them together after they have broken was a foreign thing for him.

At least he couldn't say that his relationship with his mother had been destroyed, neither was the one he shared with Yugao. Things had just taken a swing and they would sit down and talk things out; the only problem was that this was going to scar them for the rest of their lives. There was no way that they could forget about it.

Not when there was another product of it. The little one that would start showing soon on Mikoto's belly would be with them for their rest of their lives.

Warm hands snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. He blinked once, and saw only red. His mother was holding him in a firm and, yet, gentle embrace.

"Don't space out like that… you'll get your mother worried." Kushina whispered softly.

It made her worried seeing her dear son standing like a statue. He was obviously thinking deep about something. It wasn't good for him, especially since he had just gotten out of the hospital. He had to take things slowly, but they might not have that time. Kushina realized her contradicting thoughts, but she just shook it off.

She was happy Naruto was back home where he belonged, not the crappy hospital. Even though Tsunade had kept telling her that there was no need to worry as he was fine, she had just kept him asleep so that she could do her tests without him trying to escape and the fact that he needed to rest fully, Kushina had still worried.

What kind of a mother would she be if she couldn't worry about her son? There hadn't been a day that she had gone to visit the hospital, and back then, when he was even doing dangerous missions in Anbu. However, an emotional situation that would affect the rest of their lives had seen him end up in the hospital.

Kushina had been worried for his life. She had seen his deem eyes; his life was flickering before her very eyes. She couldn't afford to lose him, not now, not when she was still alive. Children were supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around.

Naruto raised both his hands; he hesitated for a moment. He wasn't expecting his mother to give him a warm embrace after everything. Because of him, she had cried, she had been in pain.

He deserved nothing but punishment to making her worry. He had sworn to be there for her and protect her not just from physical harm, but emotional pain as well, and yet, he was the one who ended up causing her pain.

What a despicable son he was. He was a failure as her protector.

Yet, this woman who he knew loved him dearly, was hugging him so warmly. She was still worried for him. She was happy to see him in both his feet. Naruto felt compelled to place his hands on her back and pull her much closer. He wasn't as gentle as she was, but perhaps it was because of the conflicting emotions he felt inside of him.

When was the last time he cried? Naruto could not remember. He hadn't cried in a long time. Yet, this time around, under his mother's embrace, Naruto felt his eyes warm up.

Why?

Why?

He has been calm about the whole issue that faced him. He was going to be father, and that didn't scare him the least… no, it did scare him. He might not have had a father when growing; up he could do something; he would manage.

Yes; there were still so many things that he wanted to do and now, would not be able to do because of this development, but it wasn't anything scary, was it? He had faced much scarier things in his life.

Kushina patted Naruto on his back gently. "Don't worry, Naruto, everything will be all right."

Wasn't he supposed to be the one telling her that things would be all right? That he could fix things? Wasn't he supposed to be apologizing for agonizing her with his actions? She wasn't supposed to be the one trying to sooth his heavy heart.

Kushina smiled sadly. "You've held it all in for a long time, Naruto. It's okay; I'm your mother."

It was sad, yet not really a bad thing. Her beloved son was finally showing his hidden emotions. She had known for the longest time that her wasn't completely emotionless. He had them, just didn't know how to deal with them and sometimes just ignored them in favour of thinking with facts. Yet, it was being with emotions that made him fear his own darkness.

If he was completely emotionless, he wouldn't fear going 'bad' and he wouldn't love her as much as he does. He wouldn't have even cared for Mikoto or even Yugao.

Mother and son stood for a couple of moments before Yugao decided to stop it. "If someone walks in the room, they will get the wrong picture…" She said calmly, a raised brow. "You two do realize that your relationship sometimes crosses the boundaries of mother and son."

Kushina had told her of how things were in the younger days of Naruto. If someone had walked into the room and found them cuddling in bed, they would have thought of incest.

It wouldn't have been something ridiculous to believe. Yugao had seen it in her days as Anbu: brothers married their sisters and sons married their mothers; those kind of things happened in this world.

The look from Naruto told her that he wouldn't even think of something like that. If Yugao's brow wasn't already up, she would have raised it in curiosity. "For someone who seems repulsed by that idea, you certainly didn't have a problem in your activities with Mikoto."

There was silence as Kushina separated from Naruto. The redhead turned to look straight at Yugao. She could recognize some bitterness in the woman's tone, but this wasn't the time for that.

They had to sit down and talk things out as a family. Of course, they would have another talk with the Uchihas about a way forward; they still needed to deal with things on their own.

"There is no need for that tone, Yugao." Kushina said in a stern tone. "Though, to be honest, I am disappointed in you, Naruto. You're still a teenage boy and yet you have done this. I know this is the shinobi world and age doesn't matter, but before my eyes, you're a child and the same should have been the same for Mikoto." Kushina said with a shake of her head.

She then took Naruto's left hand, and dragged him towards the sitting room with Yugao following from behind. Once they had all settled down.

Kushina stared at Naruto and spoke. "Please help me understand the situation, Naruto. What did you see her in her?"

Naruto was silent for at least a minute, but no one said anything as he browsed through his memories. There were many things inside, he was a thinking person after all, but during the past week, he had organized his thoughts. Looking back at his mother, Naruto drew a line on his lips.

"I guess it started when she called me her hero for saving her life and the Uchiha. Those words she uttered meant more to me than anything anyone aside from you had said. I think perhaps a part of me always wanted to hear those kind of words. It isn't just father who was the hero of the Hidden Leaf, we were all heroes. On that fateful night, we all did our part; you restrained the Kyubi and father sealed it in me. Yet, the dead was being worshipped and we were cursed.

"The experience was bitter… I learned to hate, resent, but in my hatred, I realize that I would explode to hate. Therefore, I stopped looking at the villagers as people because of their actions. Therefore, when Mikoto said those words to me, with an honest smile, because of my actions, even though it hadn't been intended, I was truly happy. I learned to care for her because she had recognized my existence. I don't know about her side, but I can say that my close relationship started there."

Yugao didn't add her own cents. She had something to say, but she wisely kept her mouth shut; it wasn't always wise to say some things. There was a saying that some things are better left unsaid. What she would have said wouldn't have painted a good picture of Mikoto. Naruto may not care about it, but his mother would have cared.

Kushina had nothing to say about the issue really. They couldn't undo what has happened and she could not erase it from her mind. It had happened and she had to accept it. Well, she has had a lot of time to think about the issue without Mikoto and Naruto present to say something.

The Uzumaki sighed. "I'm still not happy… but we still have a future to look forward to. We cannot hold resentment feelings over what has happened because it accomplishes nothing of benefit to our mental health." She said.

"I'm truly sorry for causing you pain, mother." Naruto said.

"I know you're." Kushina said with a small smile. "If I'd known that you were still the 'little child' you were back then, I wouldn't have reacted the way I did… I was surprised that Sasuke would try to kill you though…"

From her tone, Naruto could tell that his mother wasn't happy with the Uchiha. Well, it was to be expected. Sasuke had tried to kill him and would have killed his own mother in the process. Had it not been for his swift action, it wasn't Mikoto they were going to burry, it would be the 'child' developing inside of her.

Before the blond could respond, Yugao spoke. "If it had been him," she said pointing at Naruto, "he would not have tried; he would have killed Sasuke in gruesome fashion."

Kushina blinked as she stared at Naruto. Should she really be surprised that he wasn't denying it? She smiled though. It would just be like Naruto to do something like that, so it wasn't really a surprise.

"Well, he is still his mother's son." She said with a shrug. "It doesn't make what Sasuke did right though… but there is nothing I can do about it. In his eyes, you did 'violate' his mother."

Naruto had nothing against that knowing that he would have done as Yugao had said. That would perhaps be the one time he would allow his emotions to get the better of him. In any case, it wasn't Sasuke in his position, so things hadn't been any drastic in terms of the outcome.

Things could have taken a nasty turn had he not reacted quickly to get Mikoto out of the way. If Sasuke had ended up killing his mother, he would have been the one at fault. The Uchiha would have likely turned on his mother and for revenge. If a disaster like that had occurred, Naruto would have killed Sasuke and then he would be left all alone in this world.

Yes, that darkness inside of him would have rejoiced at the turn of events; it was only waiting for one thing to flip things to show its sharp fangs and this world would see a demon it has never seen before.

A Naruto born of those events would have been much more frightening than the stories of the Kyubi. If Konoha trembled at the presence of the Kyubi, it would wet its pants at the mention of his name.

Fortunately, things didn't go that far and it was safe.

 **A couple of hours later**

 **Hokage Office**

Jiraiya stared at Naruto as the blond walked into the office and settled down. Even when Naruto looked back at him, the Sannin didn't back off. He just kept staring at him for a couple of minutes before looking away; he turned his stare outside the window, looking down at the streets of the Hidden Leaf.

"If I'd known that things would turn out that way, I would have quickly returned with you." The Sannin said.

It had been an option to return with the blond after their battle with Pain, but he had stayed behind when Naruto said all was well. Besides that, he wanted to speak with Nagato.

But, apparently, Naruto's situation was the emergency as it could have resulted in death. Blood was shed but at least no one died. He wouldn't have forgiven himself if something had happened to the blond.

Otherwise, his dialogue with Nagato and Konan had been fruitful. He learned everything that happened to them after he separated from them.

They had truly started well, but people were treacherous. He could not believe that Danzo had a hand in Hanzo's actions. Well, at least Naruto had gotten rid of the war hawk, but it had been a little too late. At that time, the man had made himself comfortable in the Hokage office.

His sensei should have gotten rid of the snake long ago, but he didn't and other people paid the price for it.

"You wouldn't have done anything to change things, Jiraiya. It was better that things happen in the way they did. Thoughts all clear now and we all know where we stand." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"We don't know that." Jiraiya was quick to say in a firm tone. "I have a lot of experience in life. Who knows, maybe I could have helped." The Sannin offered.

Naruto thought of snorting, but that would surely be unbecoming of him. This whole situation was making him express a bit more of emotions on him. Well, he would have to show a little more of emotions if he is to be a good person in the future. By that he meant 'father.' He didn't want to say it because it was causing him some confusions.

Looking at the Sannin, Naruto could not help but still comment on the man's experience. "Yes… your experience in getting beat up by the delightful blonde in front of us would have been helpful. Yes, I can see how you would have handled the situation… you have a good reputation with having a silver tongue after all…"

Jiraiya starred at the blond for a long minute. "I was only trying to help…" He said.

"And I was offering a sarcastic response to your offer…" Naruto responded lazily. "In any case, you're a greater man than I am, Jiraiya. You have survived for so long, standing behind the object of your feelings and yet getting nothing in return. To be honest, I'd go berserk in such an event. My advances have always been received in kind. I have never come to say, there is that one that got away."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You're not being sarcastic about it…" she said of Naruto saying Jiraiya was a better man than he was.

"Of course, not." Naruto said. "Despite everything, Jiraiya is a great shinobi. Having fought by his side in a real battle, I cannot say otherwise or even disrespect his title as a Sannin. But my remark in that wasn't about power, but the strength of the heart."

Tsunade shook her head. She wasn't going to get into a talk about the heart with Naruto. "You're also comparing love and manipulation…" She stated. "How can you compare love and manipulation? Those are two different things."

"Depends on how you look at it…" Naruto said. "Manipulation doesn't just deal with the mind, but to successfully manipulate someone, you must grab their heart; you must make them love you. It is the case with Orochimaru's subordinates. They would rather die than betray him, why do you think is that?"

"That love is twisted!" Jiraiya was quick to say.

"I didn't say it wasn't." Naruto said. "Perhaps my example wasn't the best. In any case, my situation is fine. We can get to the main subject which is happens now…"

This was the reason he had been called here. With the Akatsuki handled, they needed a way forward. It wasn't to say that things were over by now, there was still the threat. The masked Uchiha was still in the picture; seeing that the man was playing behind the scenes, it was likely that he would attempt to attack Nagato if the latter decides to truly forsake his ways and look for a new way to find peace.

Naruto wasn't going to rest until he grabbed that man by his throat and mutilate him to his heart's content. There were only two people he hated in this world, and that was the masked Uchiha and Orochimaru. He would get them both. It was even more of a necessity for him to prioritise on their painful deaths now that he was expecting a troublesome future with big responsibilities.

Tsunade shook her head slightly after Naruto's response. "Jiraiya was telling me that he has handled his former student, but I want you both to know that I want nothing to do with it. If it becomes known that you have been working with a former leader of the Akatsuki, I will deny any knowledge of it and if there will be someone who has to be hanged for it, you two will face the music."

There really is no need to go that far" Naruto said to the Godaime Hokage. "We can blame someone else for the Akatsuki mess. True, both Kumo and Iwa will want blood after what happened, but they will get their Jinchurikis. Nevertheless, we can blame the masked Uchiha who calls himself Madara for what has happened.

"I know he was behind the Kyubi's incident years ago, and from what Nagato said, it is safe to say he has been the brains behind gathering the Bijuus for bigger plans than what Nagato had in mind. But if the shove comes, I will face the music. I'm sure I can persuade whoever has bad intensions.

"Besides, if we are thinking of creating a better environment, doesn't it start with looking past actions of the lost? As long as people are willing to admit that they were wrong and do attempt to plan things differently, then I see no reason to put them on the kill list."

Well, Naruto was saying that, but he would never allow a snake as Orochiamru to continue living if the opportunity presented itself for him to end the snake.

That was one rotten piece of meat that he could not forgive for the actions it has committed against humanity. The same can be said for 'Madara'.

Tsunade didn't think that Naruto would go that far. He almost didn't allow any blemish along his way. He liked to keep himself dignified and with a 'reputation.'

Well, everything was going to go down the drain once it becomes known that Mikoto was going to give birth to his child. People would start looking at him somehow, but the Godaime was still certain that her fellow blond would not care about it.

Still, "What are you really planning to do with Nagato?" Tsunade asked, her tone carrying some weight in it.

"Nothing has been decided." Naruto said.

He was planning to get the man involved in the hunt for stability within the Elemental Nations. There was no harm in having along the way. In case things heat up, they could always depend on the man's power to tip the scales in the favour of whatever scheme he would have to cook up once his mind settles the issues between his mother and Mikoto and then Yugao.

"But Nagato desires peace. Although that isn't specifically what I want, we still come to same conclusion. The Mizukage can agree with me on that one." Naruto said. "In any case, I have not thought of what to do exactly with the man. Nevertheless, it is without doubt that we will do something together soon. He is still an Uzumaki…"

The Uzumaki relation was something that Tsunade had missed. She knew that for Naruto, the Uzumaki blood held some value. He was thinking of restoring his clan after all. If they found a full-blooded Uzumaki somewhere out there, they would surely try to work with him for the sake of helping one of them.

"You said you were planning on meeting the Tsuchikage's daughter…" Tsunade said.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. "Are you sure you want to do that?" The Sannin asked.

Kurotsuchi wasn't just the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, she was a powerful kunoichi of the Hidden Rock. not to mention if things go the way Jiraiya was seeing, she was likely going to end up as the Yondaime Tsuchikage.

Onoki was already pushing it, but he could still hold on for a couple of more years. The old geezer was stubborn; it was likely he would hold on to his position until he could no longer move on his own.

It was interesting that Naruto would target her. Surely, the blond had the same thoughts as her. He had already moved towards the delightful Godaime Mizukage and Suna was basically, his other home. There was definitely something going on behind the things. The Sannin wasn't worried, just curious.

The worrying fact about it was meeting Kurotsuchi. That woman was known for her love for her village. It was likely that's he would see Naruto as nothing more than a threat to Iwagakure and if she had that idea, fireworks would ignite. Naruto wasn't going to sit still and allow her to do whatever she pleases.

"If I wasn't sure I wouldn't be thinking about it." Naruto said with a shrug in response to Jiraiya's cautious words.

"I'm just saying." Jiraiya started. "Your father isn't thought of fondly within the Hidden Rock. I don't think this Kurotsuchi would be favourable in seeing you."

Naruto merely smiled. "You worry too much, Jiraiya. I'm aware of the facts, but I'm still going to seek an audience with her. It might prove difficult, but I will get her to think highly of me and not as an enemy." The blond said in a firm tone. "We must recognize that Kiri and Suna are still the weakest in the Great Hidden Villages. If something were to break out, they wouldn't be able to make a difference. Kumo and Iwa are big, that is why we must not forget about them.

"Convincing the Raikage to play along would be easy, but I shelved that because of it. A is an understanding person, even though he does allow his emotions to get the best of him. The Tsuchikage is one tough person. Nevertheless, I have no interest in talking to him; if I can befriend his granddaughter, all will be well.

"We can strike a mutual agreement with the Kages and obviously, Kumo would have to play along to avoid being left behind. My idea is that we must keep the doors open for each Kage and try to strike something of a mutual understanding between the Kages. That can go a long way to creating a trust between the leaders. If that happens, that trust becomes the bridge that connects the Hidden villages."

Jiraiya smiled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were running for peace with a sincere heart." The Sannin said. "Well, I now understand why sensei used to say that if circumstances were different, you would be a very kind person. In some cases, he used to say that you are a kind person."

Tsunade had to agree with that note.

"Well, what is coming should soften his heart." The Godaime said, with a particular picture in mind.

"I don't like that you use Mikoto in this way." Naruto said, knowing that Tsunade was talking about the 'child' developing inside of the Uchiha. "Well, it can't be helped." He said with a shake of his head. "What did Nagato say about the masked Uchiha?" The blond asked Jiraiya.

"Nothing much." Jiraiya said with a frown. "It appears that he doesn't know much about him. No, he doesn't really know anything about the man or his hidden goals."

"That is disappointing, but not unexpected." Naruto said.

 **With Sai**

"How is Ino's training going?" Naruto asked the black-haired shinobi.

He was curious because now was the time to act. He was even going to call some favours for the people who owe him because he could not remain at one place. He had to make movements into angles that will position him into a place of influence. He had been okay with planning the dark arts, but given that he had no one who could play the front battle for him, he had to play it himself.

Besides, that, he had thought that he could not can play things in a way that was needed for someone who presented himself as human loving. The stakes were even bigger this time around. There was much more that he needed to protect and for that to happen, he needed to exhaust his resources.

"It is moving smoothly." Sai said. "She has a natural ability in gathering Intelligence…"

"But?"

"She lacks the discipline to keep it." Sai said.

Naruto looked thoughtful for a couple of moments before responding. "She has always been a bit of a gossiper. It will prove to be slightly difficult to get her to shut her mouth. There are useless things to talk about and the things we will need to be kept private because they could get one into trouble.

"I will try to work things with her… the thoughts might be brutal in the form of real life experiences. There is no better way for her to learn than letting slip of something vital that could put her in danger or someone else. I just need to be able to manage the situation thereafter."

Sai merely nodded. "What do you plan on feeding her?"

"I will think about it. It isn't a final decision, just something I will decide after I have spoken with her to see where we stand…" Naruto said. "But of course, I will consult with you… and in case you have a better suggestion, I will consider it."

Sai raised an eyebrow upon hearing those words from the blond. He wasn't expecting Naruto to say something like that to him. the almost never asked for their opinion – he was always following the orders. Well, things to change. And it wouldn't be so bad to have things work differently.

"I think I can manage her though…" Sai suggested. "We haven't had a lot of time together, but she isn't a private person, so understanding her has been a little easy."

Naruto shook his head. "Don't let that fool you, Sai. Don't say you can fully understand a woman. I haven't had much time with them, but in my experience, they are unpredictable creatures capable of so many things. What makes them dangerous is that they can do those things whilst still showing you an innocent look…" The blond paused for a moment before saying: "I will trust your judgement, nevertheless."

"Are you sure?"

Naruto was silent for about a minute or so as he thought things over. "What is fundamental in a relationship, Sai?" He asked, but didn't wait for Sai to respond. "Perhaps full manipulation of your subjects may be fundamental to some people. But what I have come to realize is that a lasting and strong relationship that is truly beneficial, not just now, but tomorrow as well, is one built on trust.

"When you work on trust, you eliminate the possibilities of revenge at a later date when your strings crumble or when someone else plays their game. Of course, saying that, I don't mean that trust is absolute. Whilst a core thing, it is also fragile little thing that can be destroyed easily. It is in that situation that you must be logical, otherwise, you will crumble as well.

"I have given you responsibilities; you know me, my house, where I sleep, how I sleep… that means I trust you that much. But it goes a little far when I trust you to make some decisions rather than micro managing every little thing you do. What I am saying is that; I want you to make decisions when you think it is best, if you're not sure, then come to me and we will deal with it together."

It had come to Sai's mind that Naruto was having him train Ino so that she could replace him as the leader of his spy network. If the girl managed to behave, she could play her role well. Who would suspect her of being a spy? She wasn't the quietest person, and she really did say a lot of things.

That train of thought gave Sai a thought: Maybe they didn't have to change the girl. She just had to manage to hold on to the things that were meant to be hidden. That way, no one would suspect her. If she suddenly stopped, people would start asking questions.

"Thanks for the trust, and I will handle the situation." Sai said. "You need to handle things though."

Naruto didn't mistake the seriousness in Sai's tone. "What has happened?"

"You were right to say that she is a rather perceptive person. She found out about you and Mikoto and has been troubled by it. She has been drinking a lot. I've had someone keep an eye on her to ensure that nothing bad happens…"

Naruto frowned: His relationship with Ino goes a long way back. There were some feelings that he has tried to ignore for her sake.

"I will speak to her." The blond said. "I need you to head out to Oto. Find whatever you can on Orochimaru's whereabouts and the Uzumaki with him. Once you have his tail, have your rats keep a tail on him and I will try to get Sasuke to move with me to eliminate him."

Sai nodded. There was something with Naruto that made him curious. The blond didn't appear to favour fighting alone, and it wasn't because he feared his opponent or that he was weak, Naruto was strong, but he didn't like fight alone. Sai was positive that Naruto didn't fear Orochimaru. he had gone to the snake alone before.

"Why do you always do that? You don't like showing your power to people…"

"Power is a dangerous thing, Sai. I try to limit my output as much as I can. Besides, I don't want to fool myself into believing that I can do all things by myself. You cannot do all things on your own…" Naruto explained lightly. "Be sure to keep away from Orochimaru because if you get close, he will get you."

Sai nodded. "I know…" Sai said. He knew that Orochimaru was a dangerous person and even if he doesn't make a mistake, the man would still be able to get to him. The important thing was to keep a good distance to be able to escape once the snakes makes its move on him.

"Where can I find Ino?" Naruto asked.

 **A couple of minutes later**

Naruto stood at the entrance of a shinobi establishment. It was different one from the one he had visited with his former Anbu colleagues. This was uncivilised. He could see people of all kinds, men and women moving about in intoxicated merry as slurs and sly talk impregnated the atmosphere with naughty intensions.

Everyone seemed to be lost in their own little world. His presence wasn't even noticed. Naruto shook his head as he ignored everyone else to look for the person he needed to see. He found her sitting by a stool just beside the bar counter, three men surrounding her.

Their intensions were written all over.

Was this something that happened every day? Ino was still a Kunoichi, so normal people would not be able to take advantage of her. Yet, if she was dealing with stronger shinobi, they would do whatever they wanted, even if she was refusing.

Sai said he had someone looking after her; that meant that someone was within this place. For a moment, Naruto thought of searching, but a signal was sent towards him in a wave of chakra – which only those associated with him could note. His eyes narrowed towards his left – a dark corner and a pair of crimson eyes stared back at him.

The Uzumaki nodded and walked towards Ino.

The woman didn't turn to face him – it was apparent that she didn't notice him with all the muscles hovering by her side. Well, a young kunoichi who was developed in all the right arrears, drunk and alone, wasn't she an easy target?

Ino might not have noticed him, but the muscles around her did. "What do you want, brat?"

"This one is ours!"

How distasteful. Just because she was alone and drunk didn't mean that she was there for the taking. They were imposing, and he was sure that Ino wasn't that kind of girl who would pick up strangers and take them towards a dark alley for them to do nasty things to her.

"She is just a teenage girl you, drunk and not thinking straight, yet you three want to gang up on her?" Naruto asked in a calm tone. He wasn't happy, but that didn't reflect in his tone.

"Huh?" One of them jumped on his face. The man was larger than him and his breath was burning through his face with its stinking smell that made him want to grab the man's face and drag it through the floor. "You got something to say, gaki?"

Naruto was tempted to shove his fingers straight in the man's eyes and blind him. But that would be too hard on the man. He hasn't done anything to Ino, but his intensions were all too clear. He could just beat him up and throw him in a bin with other trash.

Still, looking at those dark eyes, Naruto felt compelled to raise his hand. For a second, he debated on whether he should grab the man's throat or his face. A second later, the blond grabbed the man by the throat and in a split second, a sent them hurling to the other side without even batting an eye.

The other two were upon him, as slow as they were; Naruto didn't bother trying to hit them, he just snapped his fingers and the dropped to the ground. No one reacted to the little scene. IT was something usual in such a place, he figured. Naruto took a step closer to Ino – who he was now sure was just ignoring his presence.

He wasn't going to sit with her and share a drink: He just wanted to get her out of here and they could talk on another day.

"Ino…"

The blonde twisted around sharply, and looked at him with a strange look on her face. She then looked away without saying a word to him. Ino looked at her drink for a moment before gulping its contents. "I can't believe that you turned me down because you were shagging an old hag… I thought we did have something special between us, and yet… It's not just her, but Yugao as well…"

Naruto sighed. "We do: that is why I am here with you, Ino."

"Are you sure it isn't because I'm now one of your pets?"

"Not at all: I'm here because I care for you. I've always been your knight, and I have no thoughts of stopping. You were my only friend in childhood; the only person who tried…" Naruto paused and attempted to smile, but he could not. "Can we go somewhere else? I can see that you're not drunk…"

Ino turned around once more; this time she got from her stool and face Naruto, standing just inches away. "There is really nothing to talk about. I was just sad because my pride as a woman was wounded. I thought, to you, I am but a child, that's why you went for the old hag."

Naruto shook his head. "That isn't quite true, Ino. I know that you have grown; you have always been a level above those your age. But I live a different life, I didn't want you to get involved in it. I thought not to hurt you, because when it comes to me, you never know."

Ino snorted. "That's crap…" she said. "You're making me join your shadowy work, and yet you still say you refused me because you didn't want me into something dangerous?" She paused placed both her hands on Naruto's shoulders, staring inventively. "If that contradiction is really the truth, can I prove to you that I am strong and not a mere child who needs to be protected by a mother's boy?"

Naruto didn't get to respond because just then, she leaned over and kissed him. There was hunger in the way she went about it, but Naruto didn't deny the girl what she desired. He simply allowed her to do what she wanted to do for about a minute or so before pushing her back.

"It's admirable that you still look fine but there is undoubtedly alcohol in your system, otherwise, you would not be so brave."

"So?"

Naruto looked at the blonde strangely for a moment. What was he to do with this girl? She wanted something. If he was a womanizer, he wouldn't waste time to give it to her, but what would happen after it? He was 't likely not going to continue seeing Mikoto, so he could be left with just Yugao, but wasn't that enough?

He didn't need to involve Ino in his twisted urges, did he?

Though, looking at it, it wouldn't be so bad. He could manage things afterwards. Naruto quickly shook his head. Since when did he become such a person?

The Uzumaki tilted his head to the side. "Let us get out of here…" he said holding out his right hand. "This place doesn't suite you."

 **The Following Day**

It was still morning but the house was already in need of a comic to lighten up the mood. It was a heavy atmosphere within the house; this was because the Uchiha were already present. They were in the house of Uzumaki to deal with the outstanding matters caused by the children who have misbehaved.

Naruto didn't feel that much dragged by the atmosphere. He was fine with it, just a little worn out. He had slept a bit late, and was forced to come back home so early in the morning because of this arrangement. He was still happy that they were going to solve this matter. The longer it hanged over their shoulders, the more of a burden it became.

Kushina sighed as she thought of what to say to Mikoto. Honestly, she still felt betrayed by the woman. She hadn't thought that Mikoto would do something to her. But the woman was her friend and she would not hold a grudge over it. Yet, the feeling of betrayal still lingered within her heart.

"I won't say much…" Kushina said. "You're expecting my grandson, and that is something that I can look away from. It really doesn't matter where it is coming from… although I would have been happy if it came from somewhere not from my best friend, I still have to live with it.

"However, you are to stop whatever you had with my son. I will not permit it any further. Naruto will be the father of your child, and that will be the end of it. I'm not saying he must stop caring and only look at the child; I'm saying that thing you did when we were not looking must come to an end."

Mikoto smiled, it was a bit of a sad smile. "I understand." She said. She could not say she was sorry that she had become pregnant because truly, she wasn't sorry. Perhaps she might have planned it, but that didn't matter at this stage. She was looking forward to the future and nothing else. "I still hope that we can get along… I don't really have any other friends outside."

Kushina was silent for a few moments; that was the truth. Mikoto couldn't count on Sasuke to offer her emotional support. With Sasuke, it was as if she had no one. She had Naruto; in her times of need, he has always been there for her for comfort. Naruto has always been someone she could talk to even when it was dealing with emotions because that was the side of him that had only been reserved for her.

He was growing now; he could offer support to other people.

Kushina was happy about it. She has always wanted her son to grow up and open to other people -that was what being alive meant.

Mikoto being pregnant wouldn't be all that bad. Perhaps for the woman, it would be something that makes her feel alive again. She could get to care for someone, smile and raise another child.

"Whilst I feel betrayed, I don't think we can ever be separated Mikoto. I cannot even entirely blame you for this because Naruto isn't a child who can be deceived by sweet words. He got into it because he wanted to…" Kushina sent Naruto a look. "In any case, I still have to stay close to ensure that everything goes perfectly."

"Thank you Kushina… I really mean it. I'm sorry for betraying your trust…"

Kushina just nodded before standing up. "Stay for breakfast." She said.

This was going much better than what Naruto had expected. He had known things would go well, but he hadn't thought it would be in this manner. Either way, he was pleased that everything seemed to have settled. That look his mother gave him just told him that he was still going to have to deal with his mother about his own actions as well.

Mikoto insisted on helping Kushina prepare and the Uzumaki didn't see any problem with it. She allowed her to take part in the preparation of breakfast. Yugao didn't want to be left alone and went to join the others.

"You're awfully obedient when your mother is around." Sasuke said, looking straight at Naruto. "I should not be surprised though."

"I have always told you to respect your mother, Sasuke. I respect mine…" Naruto paused for a moment, smiling – a flat smile. "Perhaps you may find offence in that statement as you can say that I did not respect you or your mother in what has happened. But that would be looking at things in one side: your mother isn't a child, she knows what she is doing and whatever that she does. Continuing to look at me with contempt, is nothing but a stupid activity that will only make you a bitter Uchiha… Well, that isn't for me to decide to say. You have your own ways, and I have mine."

He wasn't going to tell Sasuke on how to live his life – he was no longer looking after the Uchiha. He had done so before because Itachi had asked him to do so. But now Sasuke had grown, no longer a child and someone who could think for himself. He didn't have to say anything, the Uchiha had to decide what was better for himself.

He even had his mother with him. Although, the Uchiha didn't use her effectively, she was still there for him.

Sasuke raised an eye brow: the blond wasn't trying to force his ideas on him. In fact, he was telling him that he could whatever that he wanted to do. Naruto had always thought that he knew best and wasn't afraid to tell him what to do and what not to do.

"You're being highly considerate… if you had been like this before, things could have been different."

Naruto shook his head. "It's not that I am being considerate; I just realize that a person cannot stay a child forever. When we grow, parents allow us to make choices for ourselves. Of course, it is how we live our lives that will get parents trying to control what we do. It all depends on your mind set and attitude…" The blond stated. "In any case, how is Anbu training going so far?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Fine…" He said. "They are much more human than what people make them out to be."

"That is because it is necessary for them; Anbu cannot afford to fail missions, and their missions involve risking their lives and killing people left and right. If you lose yourself in that area, you become nothing more than a killer with no emotions but instincts to kill. That is why they teach you discipline and they always try to be lively on their own, just to remember that they are still humans.

"Anyone can join the black ops, but only those with strong will and discipline can survive. Danzo tried to remove emotions from his forces because he believed that emotions were the ones that could lead you into temptations. But I believe it is all about self-control. If you manage the art of controlling yourself, you manage yourself in a balanced manner.

"For you, the only problem would be pride and lack of respect for authority. If you can respect your superiors, reign down on your pride, no doubt you will excel. Working in the shadows would fit you perfectly. I had thought that was a job reserved for me…"

"Why? Is it because you fear that doing good will get Konoha to praise you and ultimately shatter every little thing you have against humans?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but he did not respond to the question. "Sai has gone out to look for Orochimaru's whereabouts. Once he has found him, I will wear my mask once more and you shall have you first S-rank mission."

"That is something I can do…" Sasuke said calmly.

If there was something he liked about the blond; it was that when it came to fighting opponents, Naruto didn't always to take the spotlight for himself. The blond didn't have any trouble in standing back to allow someone to fight. He knew that he would get to fight Orochimaru and would not just get to watch the blond fight.

"Excellent… I will talk to Tsunade about it…"

 **Later that day**

"It was always my assumption that you would know why the Akatsuki was intent on gathering Jinchurikis and in their specific order. Once Gaara confirmed about the sealing, everything came back to you. Foolish and ignorant humans see you as nothing more than a mass of chakra controlled by hatred… but I have always seen you as more than that. You could have told that it wasn't Madara who compelled you to attack Konoha. Even if someone was wearing a mask, you should be able to tell the chakra that summons you."

Naruto was staring straight into the eyes of the Kyubi as he spoke. The Bijuu had withheld vital information from him. It was information that could have simplified things. Even now, there were still things that he didn't understand and he needed to understand them.

The Kyubi had to provide the answers he needed. Naruto wasn't going to care about anything else if the Bijuu still refused to tell him what he needed to know. He was prepared to use Shisui's eye to get the Bijuu to behave. It was important that the Bijuu cooperated. He would seek that cooperation first before going into extreme measures.

It would be difficult to get along with the Bijuu once he does go to that path, but there would be no other choice for him if it still refuses to tell him important information that could save his future.

"You have already stopped the Akatsuki, why do you still need to know?" Kurama asked in a curious tone.

Dealing with Pein meant that he had stopped the Akatsuki from trying to capture all Bijuus. Not only that, but the threat to his life had been removed. There was no need to know anything if he was only concerned about his life and his little dreams. Well, with the blond, you could never know. He did like knowing things that could be useful to him.

Perhaps that was the idea he had; If reviving the Jubi could suit Naruto's agenda, then the blond would not mind doing it. Kurama wouldn't even put it past the blond to use that cursed Sharingan to control the Rinnegan wielder to get him to do the dirty work for him. there was no doubt that Pein possessed the strength, and it would take a remarkable shinobi to stop him.

But of course, the blond would have to remove the threat to his life on his extraction. Well, he would not need to do so if he could find a way to revive the Yondaime Hokage and get the other half of him the man seal within him before he died.

Wasn't it something though? Normally, he would break free if the man died, but his other half went into the afterlife with Minato. That was precisely because the seal the man had used was linked to his soul. It is only the body that dies, but the soul is eternal, hence his other half was dragged to the afterlife.

"Asking me that question…" Naruto paused looking at the Bijuu with an expressionless mask. "Are you that concerned about the darkness in me? Does it scare you or is it your own survival that you're concerned about?"

Kurama was silent for a few moments before responding. "The darkness inside of you is certainly something humans should frighten. Whilst unlikely, but if it does happen, and you lose it, with the knowledge to bring this world to its knees and the mind to manipulate the Kages, all humans could cease to exist in this world. You have flirted with that idea on a couple of occasions and it remains an option should you lose all hope… no, something just has to happen to your mother… I think you'd use it as an excuse because there is that part of you that frightens even you, that really wants to kill people."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "So, it is the darkness…" He said. "I'm not too concerned about that at the moment. I know of ways to handle that issue. As you have noticed, things are turning up for me. I have more things to care for these days…" the blond paused and shook his head. "Then, let us begin… I have the time, and the determination to get the information out from you in any means if you refuse to comply with my humble request."

 **End of chapter**

 **Doing this chapter was difficult as I hit a lot of walls. I think making more chapters will be difficult for me at this stage. In any case, I will add a couple of more chapters to close this chapter.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The past month has certainly been different, if Naruto could say.

Things has been working differently, but he could say it had to do with the changes that have imposed themselves upon his life since the whole issue with Mikoto started. Things were not bad to say the least.

They were actually good, far much better than he would have expected.

His mother was getting along with Mikoto but most of their talk was baby this and baby that. Kushina was just excited as Mikoto was about the pregnancy. His mother had calmed down a bit, so Naruto appreciated that part.

She was even willing to leave him in a room with Mikoto without trying to eavesdrop on them.

It could be argued that she had worked out her anger issues about Mikoto's betrayal. There was no other way that she could have gone about things anyway. She had to accept it.

The only person who seemed to be struggling was Yugao. Whilst Naruto hasn't talked to her about it and didn't want to entertain the thought too much, it was apparent that she had some less beautiful thoughts about the fetus inside Mikoto. Trying to understand those emotions would complicate things for Naruto. He wasn't actively ignoring them as he would before; it was something that he needed to deal with before it became a major problem.

Ino punched Naruto on his left shoulder, seeing him lost in his thoughts once more. The two were walking within the streets of the Hidden Leaf, coming from a good restaurant that sells nice food. She often pulled Naruto into those shops to avoid eating ramen for lunch every day when she was with him.

Since Sai was away, he was sticking around her a lot to account for her training.

Ino wasn't complaining about it.

She was just happy that he was at least fulfilling his promise to train her. Even though this time around, it was for his purpose, she was still being trained. Besides, this kind of job wasn't all that bad at all. She had accepted the offer at first because she realized it would get her closer to Naruto again, just as they were before other people came into Naruto's life.

That had not happened, but she had ended up enjoying her little time with Sai and a few moments with Naruto.

"You're getting lost in your thoughts again." Ino said to Naruto with a look on her face. "Thinking about becoming daddy?" She asked with a smile–it was a somewhat bitter smile.

"Something like that." Naruto said. "I'm a bit concerned about Sai though. It has been a full month and there has been no contact at all. Well, not really, but the contact has stopped. Considering that we had already narrowed down Orochimaru's hideouts, tracking him shouldn't be all that difficult if Sai was also working with Jiraiya's people."

Really, he hadn't expected this silence from the black haired shinobi. He was thinking of going out himself to see what was really happening. He could follow Sai's trail and hunt him down. It would be a problem if he has been captured by the snake Sannin. Naruto was positive that the snake already knew that Sai worked for him and given the last encounter, the snake would probably take measures to meet him.

Well, it wasn't a problem because he wanted to see the snake. The danger was that it would be on Orochimaru's terms. Well, he just hoped that if things came up to that, Orochimaru would allow his arrogance to get the best of him. It was within reason to believe that Orochimaru would assume that he would come with Sasuke and taking into account the snake's fascination with the Uchiha, he would use that opportunity to make his move.

"Are you worried about Sai, Naruto?" Ino asked with a shocked look on her face.

Perhaps a little bit dramatic but she thought it was deserved given that the blond hardly showed he valued Sai's life to the point of worrying about his safety. If there was anything Naruto worried about concerning Sai, it was what the black haired knew about the blond's activities.

Naruto turned to look at Ino, giving her a look.

"Sarcasm?" He asked rhetorically. "Sai is an important part of things and I cannot afford to lose him. I doubt Orochimaru would kill him if he captured him though. The snake is the type of vermin that likes to keep his toys alive, just so he can dissect them to see what makes them tingle."

"Well, your dislike of Orochimaru is something I can confirm." Ino said. "It's really surprising that you can hate though. Aren't you afraid of losing yourself?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly. "What are you getting at?"

"What?" Ino asked with a smile. "You think Sai doesn't tell me the 'little' things about you? Besides that, how long have I known you, Naruto? When did I even term you my black knight?" Ino paused before saying. "You have stopped yourself from hating because if you do, it could trig-"

"Ino." Naruto said, cutting off the blonde Yamanaka. "You should join us on that mission. It will show you a couple of things about just how corrupted some humans are. We will take you through some of Orochimaru's hideouts so that you can see the world in the same eyes that we do. You need to understand the reason we do the things that we do."

"What else don't I know about this world?"

"So many things, Ino." Naruto said in a firm tone. "I need to get my mission with Tsunade done, though."

"I wish I could leave with you. I've gotten used to being in your company these days besides, I'd like some fresh air and the site of the sea. When are you going to take me there anyway?" Ino asked.

"Soon. I'll be gone by tomorrow morning, are you going to cope with everything on your own? You will be dealing with those people since Sai and I won't be available. Well, you don't have to worry about your safety though. They were difficult to understand, they good people." Naruto said.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Good people? Don't you think I have dealt with them when with Sai?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm just saying. We don't want anything going wrong because of your inexperience." The blond said.

"Come on; we don't have all day. I must be home a bit early today."

Later that day

"How long do you think you can keep the truth hidden?" Yugao asked Naruto. She was staring at the blond, they were in their room within the Senju compound.

Naruto didn't have to ask to know that Yugao was talking about Mikoto.

Anyone who cared to know would soon find out what Uchiha Mikoto was pregnant. The only question that would need to be answered would be who the father of the child is. Once it becomes known, it wouldn't take long for people to start making calculations and come up with some wild guesses as well as correct guesses that would be treated as rumors.

It would not be a good thing for Mikoto. Given his experience with the villagers, Naruto was certain that the woman would suddenly find herself alone within the village. Yes, he could see her walking along the streets with whispers starting behind her. People would be looking at her with so many questions, but nothing would be said to her.

At least that would be the only difference between her and him and Mikoto's whispers would not be out of hatred but curiosity getting the best of people.

Naruto had thought that it would be possible to keep his part in it a secret but it seemed unlikely, not with the way things were going. He already had an existing relationship with the woman. It wouldn't take long for people to start making conclusions and gossip to fill up the streets.

One person who will be disgusted by the rumors will certainly be Sasuke. Well, at least now that he was busy with Anbu, he wouldn't have much time to spend on the streets to hear about it. Anbu worked differently and since Naruto has graced that world before, he was sure that those people would not react in the same way as the people in the streets.

"I'm not trying to hide it. I had thought of it, but it is impossible. I'm just not going to announce it to everyone." Naruto said in a calm tone. "Should this really be something we ought to discuss?"

Yugao stared into Naruto's eyes for a long minute. "Maybe not, but it bothers me. So, I can't help myself."

"Is this why you pushed for my mother to suggest that Mikoto and I stop our relationship?" Naruto asked. There was no emotion in his tone to suggest he was either mildly angry or just disappointed about it. He didn't leave anything to reveal his thoughts on the matter and Yugao couldn't read anything from his expression.

"You were going to end it, so what is the big deal?" She asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Don't get behind my mother like that. You shouldn't even feel threatened like that. You know you will always be a part of my life. I don't have the guts to kick you out because of my fears. To be honest, if I was thinking of cutting you off, I'd have to kill you in the process because I'd be afraid of your revenge, even if you show no signs of it, but chances can't be taken. In any case, this is it. Mikoto isn't going anywhere but neither are you. The difference is that she is carrying my child. I care for you and this shouldn't make you feel anything contrary."

"The first words you said don't make me happy." Yugao said. "I don't even want to know what those words suggest because I don't think you understand them clearly." She said with a shake of her head. "I do feel a bit unloved these days though. You spend your days getting all close to Ino with her training and when Mikoto comes, you're all quick to bring out the red carpet for her."

Naruto raised an eyebrow when he digested those words fully. "Do you hear yourself, woman? Ino is temporary and I even asked you if you were willing to join us in the training to teach Ino Kenjutsu since you're better at it than me. I have not even been giving Mikoto any special treatment, but things have not been the same, that I can admit. You can't expect me to treat her the same way as before, anyway."

Yugao smiled. "You're quick to give reasons. Well, the fact that you're willing to reason is a good thing." She said with a nod. "How long is your stay in Kiri going to be?"

"Not long." Naruto said. "I'm going with Tsunade, so she won't take much time away from the village. My return will depend on what I learn along the journey. I still need to deal with Orochimaru. I cannot be at peace with myself knowing that he is still out there."

Yugao was silent for a few moments before speaking. "Your intolerance of his existence has reached a new level." She noted.

"Well, I don't like him either. He does despicable things. If you deal with him, what will be left?"

"A few loose ends…" Naruto said.

He still needed to get his hands on the Uchiha bastard as well as work around a few things with Nagato. The man needed to be given some sort of an assurance for his dream or otherwise, they would be looking at another Akatsuki fight.

"We can finally settle down if you do that, right?" Yugao asked. "No more talk about killing someone, just normal lives…We can have that, right?"

Naruto wasn't going to lie, thus he did not respond.

It was never going to be normal for him.

He was a shinobi living in a world infested by flawed and corrupted humans who could do no right. They never learned from their mistakes. Well, if he does manage to get things flowing in the way he wants, he could rest, but that wasn't for now. It would take years for his dream to materialize, but he wasn't impatient.

The following day

Tsunade could not tell what had possessed her to say that Naruto alone was enough for her protection. She wasn't travelling with her personal guards but just the blond.

She didn't think that Naruto would do anything bad and with the knowledge that the Akatsuki was no more, she felt that the world was a little safe. Besides, she had been roaming around the Elemental Nations without any guards before no one had dared attack because of her status as a Sannin.

She was more than just a Sannin now.

Safety wasn't an issue, she was most concerned with working out things with the Mizukage. She wanted to hold talks that would be fruitful for both Kiri and Konohagakure. Naruto may have other reasons, the Godaime wanted to form an open relationship with other Kages.

This journey interested her more as a medic because of what Kiri could offer her. the village was rich in natural herbs that could be used for medical purposes. Tsunade wanted to get her hands on that and not only that, but form an alliance with the Hidden Mist. Perhaps she could form a strong relationship with the woman as she has with Gaara.

Her thoughts aside, the Godaime was hopping through the trees with Naruto just beside her. Thinking of the blond, Tsunade came to an abrupt halt causing Naruto to do the same.

Naruto looked at Tsunade curiously. he could not say that she had sensed something because he could sense anything and there was no feeling of danger within the atmosphere which made him curious as to why she halted in their movements. They had a ship to catch, so they could not take any unnecessary stops.

"If I was a paranoid person, I'd be on my guard now, thinking this was all a ploy to get rid of me. Who better of a bait than the Godaime Hokage…" Naruto said looking directly at the blonde Hokage.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow when Naruto said those words. "The fact that you even thought of something like that means you are paranoid…"

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Perhaps, but I'd to think of myself as a careful person." The blond said. "Why have we stopped? You can't be tired; it has only been a couple of hours since we departed from Konoha."

Tsunade stared at the blond. Was he even hearing what he was saying?

A couple of hours?

Tsunade almost laughed. A normal person would be worn out from running for a couple of hours and he was saying that running for a couple of hours shouldn't tire her? Not everyone was a stamina freak.

There was no balance with him, was there? Uzumaki were already energetic people and much more stamina than normal people and he had to become a Jinchuriki as well. How abnormal could one become? Tsunade wasn't going to complain how unfair it was for other people, but she had the urge to remind the blond that he wasn't like other people.

"Unlike you some of us have normal bodies…" Tsunade said. Besides, she wasn't getting any younger.

She wasn't as active as she had been in her youthful days.

Naruto was still a teenage boy–he had a lot of energy to spare.

"You're recognized as the best medic in all of the Elemental Nations, one would think you'd come with a way to keep your stamina level ups by burning less energy when you run. When you have better control over your chakra, you learn of ways to use less of it even on the things that would normally drain you. I'd think for a medic, you'd think of many ways to make yourself super…"

"I'm not Orochimaru." Tsunade said.

For something like that, she would have to experiment, not on just herself but on other people as well. Tsunade wasn't that kind of a person. Orochimaru wouldn't have a problem. Tsunade could not even begin think of how many experiments the snake has done to himself all in the name of living a longer life.

"I didn't say you were…" Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "There are many ways to go around that issue without experimenting on people to get results..."

He paused for a moment before asking a question he asked earlier. "Why have we stopped? I'm getting the feeling that it isn't because you're tired."

Tsunade was a little tired but she could still go on for another hour or so. In any case, that wasn't the reason she had stopped. There was something that had clicked in her head when she thought of Naruto and his abilities. "Why are you wasting time travelling all the way to Kiri when you can just teleport?"

Naruto stared for a moment; it wasn't that the thought was just crossing his mind. He knew what he could do and what he could not do. He was just surprised that it had taken Tsunade this long to bring it up. She had knew he could use the Hiraishin and had been to Kiri before–she could have thought of this before they even left Konoha. In fact, when she made the decision to go to Kiri with him, she should have thought of it.

He had thought the reason she wasn't bringing any of her personal guards was because she had planned on them teleporting to Kiri instead of travelling like normal shinobi, not normal people.

"You're becoming complacent on your safety because you think that the Akatsuki is gone, so there is no more threat." Naruto said.

It was a thought that just came to is mind thinking of the current situation; there was no other reason that could explain why Tsunade would be fine with just him in a journey across the Fire country.

"All should be fine unless there is something both you and Jiraiya are not telling me." Tsunade said.

"Don't be naïve, Tsunade." Naruto said in firm tone. "You were not born yesterday, so you should know that the world was still trouble before the Akatsuki came along. there is always someone plotting something. As long as Shinobi continue to be easily corrupted by greed and the thirst for more power, you can never stop looking over your shoulder. You should be the one teaching me this, Godaime, between you and me, you're the one with the most experience."

After listening to those words, Tsunade shook her head.

She didn't like that Naruto could still talk to her like a child. But she had not forgotten the kind of world she was living in. She could not forget not when she had lived past a bloody war and lost so many people.

"The threat I considered when taking my decision was on my person. Not everyone will be willing to attack me. Besides, I'm not weak as the Feudal Lords that I need someone else to protect me. Not mention that you are a capable shinobi yourself…" Tsunade said calmly.

"There is still some mystery about just how powerful you are really. Sasuke I know can cause much destruction, but you are a different matter altogether. I know you can use the Kyubi's chakra, wind element is your best and you can still use other elements; you have large amounts of chakra and you use Kenjutsu, genjutsu and Fuinjutsu. Tell me, what can't you do?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "A lot of things." The blond said but didn't divulge much details about it.

He took a step closer to the Godaime and held out his right hand. "We are only skipping the seal. Once we reach the Land of Water, we will still have to travel to the Mist as I did not mark anything in that village."

"Why not?"

"I did not learn this jutsu to make travelling easier." Naruto responded calmly.

"Shall we?"

Later that day

Kirigakure

This was the first time Tsunade was stepping into the Village Hidden in Mist.

She had travelled to many nations in her gambling days but never to this side of the Elemental Nations. Perhaps it was because it was never safe to come to this side. There were always bloody troubles that were within this village due to its massive bloodline users.

It was much better than what she had expected to see from this village. For a village she thought to be only stronger than Sunagakure, it was in a much better situation than the Sand. It also felt rather peaceful, a bit cold, but the atmosphere was wonderful.

"This village is rather pleasant." Tsunade managed to say.

"Had it not been embroiled in a civil war back then, you'd have found a perfect safe haven in your days of self-exile. Well, that would be until you're in massive debt and everyone else in the village is looking for you. With its bloody history, I doubt you'd have survived…" Naruto said to Tsunade as they walked towards the Mizukage tower, flanked by two shinobi from the Hidden Mist and Ao leading the way.

Tsunade shot a glare toward Naruto for a second before shaking her head.

"You're not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be funny. Your past actions do amuse me though. Nothing is funny about it considering the circumstances, but thinking of your stature, it seems a little amusing." Naruto said calmly. "Jiraiya wouldn't agree with me on that note, but who cares anyway?" He paused before changing the subject.

"How long do we have in this village?"

"It depends on how things go but it won't be for longer than three days." Tsunade said. "You in a hurry for something else?"

"I need to find Sai, fast, and sort out this Orochimaru issue. The more the days pile up, the more something inside of me grows. I find his existence slightly intolerable, and as the days go on, something inside of me twists and turns."

Tsunade shook her head. She did not mind that the blond was talking something like this in front of Kiri shinobi – it wasn't like their business was a secret anyway. Naruto's dislike of Orochimaru was something that she was familiar with. He handled himself well, and a foreign person would not tell that the resentment went so deep that to say he hated Orochimaru was a massive understatement.

If Orochimaru does disappear, the shinobi world would be a little safer and there wouldn't be more people suffering because of his actions. Her sensei should have done something when he had the chance, but he could not do anything against his beloved student.

"Is it simply because of your dislike of him?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto adopted a thoughtful look for a couple of seconds before responding. "Well, you can say that it is something I owe the Sandaime. Regardless of how much I grew to resent his manipulation, the old man was still important to me. Orochimaru was responsible for everything. It isn't revenge, I feel that the old man failed to do something about him, so I will do something…And you add your own cents into the equation."

Tsunade shook her head. She could never fully understand the blond. There were parts of him that she understood but some parts were just a mystery. The problematic thing went with his planning. With growth, he was involving from thinking about other things rather than just his mother. Tsunade reckoned it to be a problem.

He would have been much better in his little bubble, thinking of only his mother.

Well growth wasn't entirely a bad thing.

The Slug princess didn't say anything else as they neared the Mizukage tower. Naruto didn't say anything either. The rest of the walk was just silence along the way. Tsunade didn't mind the silence, it actually gave her some time to organise her thoughts before meeting Mei, the Godaime Mizukage.

Tsunade smiled when the warm smile of the her host greeted her as soon as she entered the office of the Kage.

"Hokage-dono." Mei said with a smile. "It is a pleasure to finally see you in person. I didn't think that you'd actually come to me though, given my village's standing."

There could be no doubt that Konoha was the strongest Hidden Village – it has reigned since its formation as the strongest village. Mei hadn't thought the leader of such a village would be willing to leave the comfort of her office just to try to talk her into an alliance when there were other players out there.

Kiri would be the one to gain more from the alliance, so why had the woman decided to come here instead of waiting for her to appear in Konoha? It couldn't be because of Naruto, could it? There had to be some reason behind this move. Mei was nevertheless glad that the Godaime was here.

"As powerful as Konoha is, it still needs other villages to survive." Tsunade said before passing on her greetings to the Mizukage. "Besides, with the likes of him lurking in the shadows, you cannot be too careful." She said pointing at the blond beside her.

Mei looked at Naruto for a moment before laughing. "Well, you're certainly right about that." She said before showing Tsunade where to sit.

"He is an interesting person who likes moving things."

Tsunade nodded. "I thought I'd pull my weight this time around just to make sure he isn't running another game. Well, I doubt he will do that now anyway." The Godaime said, smiling. "Aside trying to get away from the Leaf to get some fresh air, I also wanted to see another Kage as well as venture into your mountains to look at some plants."

Mei tilted her head to the side. "You're a medic…Not surprising you'd go for that." She said before looking at Naruto. "A pleasure to see you again, Naruto."

"The pleasure is mine, Mei." Naruto responded with a smile of his own.

"I'm sure you're tired… I would be willing to have someone show you a hotel to rest for a while and someone will fetch you later on for dinner at my place. You can also use the time to see the village. Tomorrow, I can take you where you want to go before we get to discuss matters…" Mei suggested in a calm tone.

"Is that acceptable?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes."

"One more thing; I'm curious about his abilities. I figured last time around he would not agree to it if I suggested it but since you are here…How about a sparring session between him and one of my own? We can say this is a match to start a friendship between Konoha and Kiri." Mei said.

"Not a bad idea." Tsunade said with a nod.

Naruto shook his head; Tsunade has certainly grown too comfortable around to say anything that came to her mind. Well, she had no reason to worry and this was something that he wished for when he started his interactions with her. It wasn't actually a bad thing, but he didn't like knowing where her confidence came from.

It really felt as if the woman had a hold on him, but of course, Tsunade wasn't like the Sandaime or that crippled he got rid of with Itachi. She would not try to pull strings to get him to do certain things. She must know that the moment she tries something like that, he was going to stop smiling with her, who knows, he might consider her an enemy and put her in the same position as Danzo.

Thinking about this, Naruto realized that it wasn't really easy for someone to handle him.

He was trouble.

Well, as long as people respected the boundaries, all would be well.

Everyone agreed that Danzo was a corrupt junky who could not be trusted with Konoha. That war-loving maniac would have turned Konoha into an oppressing empire that sought to control every nation…The thoughts trailed when Naruto reflected on himself.

He was actually trying to do the same thing, wasn't he? Well he was being subtle with it and would not do it through blood shed. There was a difference between what he was trying to do and what Danzo would have done. Naruto nodded inwardly, comparing himself to that man was just wrong. He would not deny being a hypocrite, but he was still not doing the same as what Danzo tried to do.

Naruto would not say his reasons were just and good for the Elemental Nations. It would be a l-

The blond was pulled from his thoughts by Mei's voice. "Lost in thought? I wonder, what are you thinking about?"

Naruto stared at the woman for a second before giving an honest response.

"I was just thinking about what influences my ideals: I'm certainly not a just or righteous person and my decisions are not always objective. I am highly subjective in my decisions. Well, I have people like you to pull me into line when I stray…"

The Following Day

Naruto looked at his royal cloak for a moment, thinking about whether to take it off or fight with it. Deciding, he took off his beloved cloth and sealed it away before looking at Ao with an expressionless face. He didn't say anything to the man but turned towards the Mizukage.

"Just one?" He asked. "Is this going to be enough?"

Mei blinked before shaking her head. "For now, yes. If you get by without any trouble, I wouldn't have any problem in joining in as well. It has been long since I moved about the battlefield anyway. I would also like to show the Godaime Hokage a bit of my skills. I think if it is against someone like you, I cannot be accused of fighting someone lesser."

Naruto smiled. "You think too highly of me but I will try not to disappoint you." He said before turning to Ao.

"This is a sparring session, but I will not take it easy. This meaning that you will spend the rest of the day in the hospital."

Ao scoffed.

The brat was underestimating him. He did since that the blond was strong, but to underestimate him like this was an insult to his abilities as Mei's right hand man and his pride as a shinobi. He could not allow the blond to talk like that and get away with it.

"I will allow my skills to do the talking for me." Ao said as he took a stance.

Naruto tilted his head to the side before addressing Mei while staring at Ao. "I know I said I won't hold back, but what are the limits?"

If they did not put limits to him, he would be allowed to let loose of the Kyubi's power. It wasn't his power but he was still able to use and he could crush opponents with it. If they put limits on him, he could avoid using. Well, he hasn't always used the power unless a situation really called for it. He would not really need to go that far unless he wanted to end the fight in a second…

"You're a Jinchuriki, so no using your Bijuu's power…"

"I doubt that is going to make a difference." Tsunade said. "I have read records of all his major fights. He doesn't normally use the Kyubi's power and in most cases he has used it, it was either he needed healing or when he was facing a mountain that could not be taken down by normal means. Aside from that, he depends on his own power."

Upon hearing that, Mei smiled. It was a rare trait from a Jinchuriki. Most of them depended on their Bijuu's power. Well, it wasn't foolish. Why keep an explosive power that could wipe out an entire army when you could use it? It wasn't like using it killed the host anyway.

Naruto held out his right hand and waved it twice. Small gusts of wind picked up for a couple of seconds, but nothing happened. He was merely just testing the wind around him. It wasn't as strong as in other lands, meaning he would have to use more of his chakra but it wasn't a problem.

His sword appeared on the right hand in a puff of smoke and then he lunged head on toward Ao with the blade cutting through the ground. It was done purposefully to draw Ao's attention. The man merely readied himself by taking out a kunai and standing his ground as the blond charged toward him.

When Naruto got closer, the blade drifted from the ground, heading upwards on the blond's right side. Ao didn't need his Byakugan to see the sword coming–it was made obvious to him. He aligned his kunai to block the sword. However, in the last second when the sword was about to collide with his kunai, wind chakra flashed through the sword.

The wind-enhanced sword cut through the kunai and as it was cutting through, Naruto's left hand was forming a Rasengan – the Rasengan was charged the man's head.

Ao jumped back as soon as he sensed the danger, but the wind blade was still able to cut through his chest. It only cut his cloth, not the flesh.

Naruto didn't attack again, he merely stood still as his Rasengan dispersed as well as the wind on his blade.

"You're a sensor. Coupled with your Byakugan, you're really something else…" Naruto stated. "However, you're not who fights on the front lines are you?"

Ao blinked before shaking his head. "How can you tell?"

"I allowed my sword touch the ground on purpose."

Ao was silent for a couple of seconds before responding. "So, you wanted to test my concentration, reflexes as well as my senses. All three …"

"What I have realized with a fight is that it isn't always won by those with better physical prowess but at times those who use their heads in a fight can win. You won't normally throwing me jutsus just for the sake of it, and I know a couple of them. But I don't usually show them because they are often not necessary…" Naruto paused.

"I'd like to show you something…"

The moment those words left his mouth, Naruto's sword disappeared in a puff of smoke and the blond started doing fast hand seals.

Naruto stopped doing hand seals and then held out his right hand, it open palm facing his opponent. It didn't take long for Ao to widen his eyes when his Byakugan viewed the nearly invisible swords floating in front of Naruto. They swords were undoubtedly wind based and he could see at least 30; the swords were long and doubled edged.

"I don't boast about my abilities, but I don't think there is anyone who manipulates the wind element to such an extent as I can." The blond stated calmly.

"It isn't the first time that I have seen ability like that." Ao said firmly.

However, truth be told. The abilities he saw before were usually just the formation of wind Shurikens and enhancing multiple blades with wind chakra. This appeared slightly different but it was still nothing shocking. If someone could make Shuriken out of wind chakra, then it wasn't impossible for someone else to create blades out of wind chakra.

"The key word there is 'like'" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "You have not seen this, and I will show you why."

The moment he said those words, five swords sped towards Ao. The words were moving at an incredible speed but they were not impossible to dodge. Ao didn't try to dodge them because he really didn't know what he was dealing with. In response, the man held out a single hand seal and summoned a water all to try to block the swords.

However, the moment the swords neared the water wall, the suddenly changed path's; two went to the left, two more to the right and the last one took the upward direction. Naruto snapped his fingers and the swords multiplied in the blink of an eye. When they did that, they halved in size, they that didn't make them less of a danger.

Naruto waved his right hand and the swords charged at Ao once more in all directions, not giving a chance to escape. The swords seemingly charged pierced through the man, but Ao suddenly exploded into a puddle of water.

Naruto didn't appear concerned.

Ao appeared from the side, dashing towards Naruto's left hand side. Naruto didn't give the man a look, not even the slightest did he look as if he had sensed the man. Ao was upon him within seconds, the man drove a hard punch towards the side of his head. Naruto's left hand blurred to the side, waving along a blast of wind as it moved. The wind slammed into the side of Ao, knocking him towards Naruto's front.

Naruto motioned for the blades behind Ao to move; six blades sped through the air in the blink of an eye before piercing through Ao's back and knees, causing the man to cry in pain as he fell down the ground. Ao cursed the blond as the pain hit through his body, bloody starting to leak out.

Naruto snapped his fingers allowing the wind blades to disperse. "I didn't need to move to do that. Of course, there are limits and it cannot work on every opponent."

Ao didn't offer a response, he was busy trying to stop himself from bleeding to death. the wounds were not fatal to kill him, but if he kept bleeding, he would suffer from blood loss unless he chose to take one those soldier pills.

Tsunade stepped forward and knelt beside the man, helping him with his wounds. Mei also closed the distance, she didn't appear as if she was going to fight; her hands were folded across her burst with a curious masking the look on her face.

"It takes time to cast the jutsu and the concentration required must be high." Mei stated after she had analysed the jutsu the blond had used. "I didn't think it isn't that you didn't have to move, it could be that you could not move when that jutsu is activated. That would explain why you say the jutsu cannot work on every opponent."

Naruto smiled. "That is an interesting analysis, Mei." The blond said but he did not go as far as to confirm whether what the woman was saying true or not; he left that for her to conclude. He wasn't that simple to give answers about his abilities in such a careless manner, even if Mei wasn't an enemy.

"Are you satisfied?"

Tsunade was quick to respond. "Of course, not!" She said in a loud and firm tone. "You took a short cut to the fight. I was expecting you to move about a little and throw a bit of fireworks."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "You said you have read my battle reports, so you should know that I don't spend too much time in a fight unless the opponent is proving to be troublesome. If I get a chance to drop you down just in the first move, I will take it. You should know; I don't fight for the thrill of it."

"With such power, why not? People don't struggle to gain that much power and never use it without enjoying themselves. I have to say, I sometimes enjoy a good sparring session."

Naruto looked up into the sky for a moment before responding. "There are certain things I have limited myself from experiencing because of the dangers that could appear if I go through that. I have so many reasons to fight or even cause destruction. I have the jutsus to do so, but I limit myself from using them because I know myself. Besides, I have learned that it isn't necessary to use force in every situation. Words are just as powerful, depending on who is saying them. Regardless, words can have a deep impact, an impact that jutsus cannot have. I don't have to be a force of nature for my message to get through."

Tsunade stared at the blond for a couple of seconds before shaking her head. Naruto was a strange person, but at least she was beginning to understand parts of him and getting along with him seemed to be moving ahead just fine. She didn't even have to hide anything from him–they were open like that or at least trying to be like that.

Even with those thoughts, Tsunade knew that there was a frightening darkness within Naruto. She wasn't the only one who was aware of that darkness and by the look of things–her new 'friend' seemed to be aware of it as well. Well, at least with his family safe in Konoha, Naruto could be kept in check.

There was no need to worry about him losing it.

The Godaime prayed for the sake of Konoha and the rest of the Elemental Nations that no one gets a crazy thought to attack those close to Naruto. Because if someone decides to do so, Naruto's resentment towards other people or as he would say 'humans'...

As if he wasn't a human himself.

Would become apparent for all to see.

Later

Naruto had not gone around to the mountains with the two Kages–he had remained behind, viewing the Village Hidden in Mist once more.

It was always an interesting thing trying to study humans of a different land. He always wanted to know more about other humans. They were a peculiar specie that had varying masks and often a complex behaviour that often left him baffled. Sometimes humans did some things that he could not just fathom, and such actions made it hard to fully understand some humans.

That didn't mean that he didn't get why people do what they do. Humans were predictable in the way that you knew the reasons they did some things. It could either be love, hatred, jealousy or even a spare of the moment thing. There were people who could stab someone in the back simply because they felt like it at that moment. Such people were heartless.

Naruto would not judge anyone because he too had his flaws and some of them were just blatant for all to see. Well, he did not try to the perfect person for anyone in this world. The humans he saw outside of his cycle would be irrelevant if their actions didn't affect him or the mood of the Elemental Nations. If it was possible to just ignore them, still being a shinobi, Naruto would have done so a long time ago.

Nevertheless, he could not just brush them aside because everywhere he went; they were there with their thoughts–good and bad.

At least things appeared to be moving in the right direction; he was moving closer to casting his imposing shadow around the leaders of the Elemental Nations. If he could do that, he could manage the flow of things with humans and then try to ensure that they behave in a fitting way.

At this stage, humans were still some nasty creatures that could not be trusted. Of course, there were good people out there. His travels had taught him that much. Even so, with humans you could never know. People's emotions could flip within seconds. He just needed to be in a position to 'influence' how things work in the Elemental Nations.

Naruto wasn't too worried about the other people though. There were still some humans whose were truly intolerable.

"Who are you thinking of killing?" Mei asked as she walked towards Naruto–who was sitting at the rooftop of the Kage tower, by himself.

The Mizukage quietly sat down beside the blond.

Once settled, she cast her eyes over to the village she led.

Naruto glanced over to the Mizukage for a moment before staring into the empty space ahead. There were times he wished he were one of those creepy humans who liked to keep their eyes closed to avoid other people looking into them.

Naruto was very capable of hiding his emotions, but he had his moments, and for someone who knew the darker parts of him, it was a little problematic in dealing with them.

Then again, people who knew about that side of him knew because he had allowed them to see it. Other people saw nothing. Whilst he was no saint, the darker side of Uzumaki Naruto was a much more frightening part that could bath this world in darkness if provoked to do so.

"I'll have you know that my thoughts are not that bloody."

Well at least these days.

Back then, when his faith in humans was close to non-existent, there had been many bloody thoughts. He had entertained the thought of going on a killing spree to reduce the human population after all.

Mei smiled upon hearing that response. "Well, surprising…But I can somewhat understand." The woman said. "So, what was his Majesty thinking about?"

Naruto glanced over to the woman once more. "His Majesty?" He asked. "I don't believe I have done anything that warrants such, Mei. I will admit I treat myself a lot better and behave in a different way, but there hasn't been anything I've done to suggest I see myself as a king."

"No, not yet." Mei said in a slightly serious tone. "It has all been in your thoughts. I don't know much about you, but I can understand that you at least see yourself as more than just a flawed human. Meaning, you are above 'humans.' From what Tsunade said to me, I guess you have given yourself that position to lord over us as our King because we are flawed creatures before your sight and thus must be shown how to live right."

Naruto's response wasn't immediate. "You appear to have talked a lot with Tsunade." He said but said nothing more about it. Instead, he responded to the Mizukage's earlier question. "I was thinking about things…My eyes see far ahead than what most people see. Maybe your eyes are only seeing just after the borders of this village, but for me, there is no limit. Every area in the Elemental Nations concerns me. There may be lands I have no affiliation with whatsoever but I still feel what happens in them concerns me." He paused for a second as he thought of what Mei had just said. "Oh, maybe you are right. But I haven't looked at things as I have a superiority complex. I certainly don't these other people as my subjects."

"Perhaps not…" Mei said before falling silent for a couple of seconds. "We ended up sorting things with the Godaime Hokage. I think what is left is just holding some formal negotiations. She has said you will complete those, but we have talked over everything."

Naruto wasn't surprised. "I guess that is one part done."

And this was the easiest part.

There were other major overwhelming forces that he needed to think about. Dealing with Kumo would be slightly difficult since he didn't talk nicely to the Raikage the last time out. Well, it couldn't have been helped, the man's arrogance that just bothered him that much. in any case, a clean conversation with the Raikage wasn't impossible.

He could put his mind to it and work out a way to deal with the Raikage. At least the man was reasonable unlike the Tsuchikage. Naruto wasn't even going to try to talk to that old man.

Yes, talking to such a stubborn old man wouldn't make him hold back his tongue. He was likely to say something that would have the old man sending delegates to the Hidden with demands for him to offer his most humble apologies.

Tsunade wasn't likely going to cave for that; she wasn't someone you could push around. Well, he could not say like the Sandaime. Naruto had learned never to underestimate the old man. Every move was a calculation. So, even if he could cave in to such a situation, there would be no telling what he was plotting inside the manipulative head of his.

"What is the next part?" Mei asked curiously.

"I need to have some existence removed from this world. then I will think of what to do next." Naruto said.

"You thinking of killing some people…" Mei said.

Well, she hadn't been wrong to say that he had been thinking of killing someone when she appeared. At this stage, Mei didn't want to know who the blond wanted to kill.

"Is that the kind of path you want to follow?"

"Orochimaru is hardly a path…" Naruto said, knowing where the woman was going. "I know what I have said, but don't take everything I say and think I will apply it. I sometimes say some things just for the sake of saying them or because it is what I am thinking. In any case, this is really nothing compared to my past thoughts; there had been times I thought this world would be much better if there were only a couple of humans living within it."

For a moment, Mei lost the colour in her face. Naruto didn't have to spell it out for her, but she understood that it meant genocide. There were millions of people in this world and with Naruto saying 'a couple of humans' was truly a major downsize of the population, hence she thought of genocide.

Well, if she had any doubts about the dark side of the man, those doubts were now cast to the side. When Naruto said he did fear the other side of himself he meant it. It was a little frightening since nobody even knew just how powerful he was.

Perhaps that was the thing with him–most of his dangerous abilities remained hidden, the harder it would be to deal with them should he become an enemy.

"Do you think a day will come where you will be my enemy?" Mei asked in a curious tone.

"I don't know, but from the bottom of my heart, I hope such a day never comes."

"Me too." Mei said with a smile. "I like these little moments."

"Me too." Naruto said with a nod of his head. "You're the only one I can talk to freely. Perhaps it is because I think I am safe with you or because I think of your history when growing up in this village and the fight you had to fight to save this village from the bloody reign that had gripped it."

Comfortable silence settled in for a couple of minutes.

The silence was broken by Tsunade. "I was wondering where you'd be." The Slug Princess said to Naruto.

Naruto faced the Godaime before responding. "Been here, sitting with the Mizukage…The talk was so lovely we ended up admitting that we like each other and since Konoha and Kiri are going to be formal allies, we thought, why not throw in a marriage as well?"

'Marriage? It wouldn't be such a bad thing' Mei thought mildly.

Tsunade blinked and then stared at the Mizukage; the woman merely smiled–a bit too sweetly.

The Godaime turned to Naruto once more.

"You turned down a marriage with Temari even after both villages had agreed to it…" Tsunade said.

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he responded. "Temari cancelled that one."

"I'm not an idiot." Tsunade said in a firm tone. "She cancelled it because that is what you wanted. If you didn't want it to be cancelled, you wouldn't have permitted her to do so. Since Gaara didn't have a problem with you marrying his sister, he wouldn't have opposed…" Tsunade paused for a moment. "One with Kiri would be a beneficial one, though."

"No; a beneficial one would be with the Tsuchikage's granddaughter." Naruto responded calmly.

Once more, Tsunade blinked. "You were joking about the marriage with the Mizukage." She realized.

"You were?" Mei asked.

Naruto stared at the woman for a long minute but didn't feel like responding and so, he didn't respond to her question.

"When would you like to depart?" He asked the Godaime Hokage.

 **For some reason, I have been sitting with this chapter for more than a week. I don't really know why, but today, I have finally decided to upload it.**

 **Don't have much to say except to say that I blame the lack of frequent updates on my new job. I was previously working with someone who had work at month end, like closing the books and doing your management accounts, but now I have been shipped to supply chain. That is one department you don't want to work in, the workload never ends.**

 **Anyway, enough about that; next chapter? Somewhere next month.**

 **Seriously. None of my stories will be updated until next month.**

 **Once again, thanks, Freestyle 763 for the edit.**


	33. Chapter 33

Mei stared at Naruto for a couple of minutes, trying to figure him out some more. What the Godaime Hokage had said about him and Temari had intrigued her. She had known that he was a meticulous person with a mean streak of plots. Nevertheless, Tsunade's words had given her the idea that Naruto only allowed things around him to happen if that was what he wanted. If he didn't want certain things, then he would make sure that it didn't happen.

This was a new twist to the plot. She already suspected he was manipulative in his ways. The Godaime Hokage had admitted as much. She had even gone as far to suggest that she had no control over what Naruto did.

Mei slightly shook her head as she gathered her thoughts. "Why did you cancel your marriage with Temari? I understand the background and the reason for the marriage."

Suna's participation in the invasion that led to the death of Hiruzen meant that its relationship with the Leaf would become tense if not damaged beyond repair. The marriage was supposed to smooth things over between the villages. Well, admittedly, things have progressed rather well between the Godaime Kazekage and the Hokage. Still, for the long-term future, the marriage would have dispelled any other doubts people had.

Yet, Naruto had cancelled the marriage. Why? There had to be a bigger reason on why he did it. Tsunade seemed to have the same thought, but wasn't worried or interested in knowing about it.

"You only understand the political side of things." Naruto said to Mei with a straight face. "An arrangement between Temari and I was made long ago by my mother and The Fourth Kazekage. Of course, the stipulation was different. We would only marry if we ended up liking each other. Things changed with the invasion.

"In any case, I cancelled it because it is no longer necessary. I don't need to have something over Gaara for him to think of Konoha with clear motives. Besides that, Temari does not love me. It is safe to say that these days her relationship with me is a bit tolerable.

"That isn't to say we have a problem. All is well; we just both understand that the marriage isn't necessary. When we were younger, there were a couple of things regarding life that I taught Temari. I'm sure she still retains those lessons."

Mei tilted her head to the side as she digested what the blond had just said. The Mizukage thought there was something that Naruto wasn't telling her. Sure, she could note that Tsunade had a good relationship with Gaara, but there had to be something else that made Naruto decide to cancel the marriage.

Was she perhaps just thinking too much? The Mizukage shook her head. She wasn't. There was no such thing as thinking too much when dealing with this kind of person.

"What are you not telling me?" Mei asked in a dead serious tone.

Naruto stared for a moment, a little surprised by the tone the Mizukage just used. He certainly didn't expect her to attempt to force the issue with him. It wasn't something he received with contempt; it just was a good surprise – if there is ever any.

"A couple of things." Naruto said with a shrug. He did not attempt to appear as if he was going to go into detail regarding his response. Mei didn't say anything; she waited for something that would please her curiosity.

Naruto sighed and looked up to the ceiling. How does he go about things here? He wasn't the most open person about his intensions. If anything, there was always a smoke hiding what he was really thinking. He wasn't about to say he had mastered the art of lying – there were just many things that he left unsaid.

The blond Uzumaki looked back at Mei; she was different from other people, but she was an earnest person who wanted peace over anything. She has seen many people die in the civil war that had grabbed Kiri by the throat. Could he trust her with his secrets?

Naruto couldn't help but laugh inwardly at that thought. Unfortunately, for him, he couldn't keep his amusement from his expression.

"Is there something I am missing?" The Godaime Mizukage asked, still in a serious tone.

Naruto shook his head. "I was just thinking about something." He did not say what and he wasn't going to say.

Humans were something else. They were creatures he had grown to dislike – that is by no way the feeling of resentment. But that isn't to say he didn't entertain the thought of wiping them out of this world. Truth be told, there were many of those creatures he could not stand. His faith them has flirted with the nonexistence for a little too long.

He still held onto something though.

Even so, to say he trusted people would be a massive exaggeration. He never really looked for trust in people. Trust was fragile and something that could end with him being stabbed in the back. He didn't think of it as paranoia getting the best of him… Naruto thought of it as being realistic and rational.

"I have an understanding with Gaara – a somewhat mutual understanding. Besides that, my family is rather fond of him. Although some times I pretend to forget, we had some good memories in the younger days." Naruto said with a smile. "Rasa tried by all means to get our families to become one. Of course, he had his intensions, but everything was laid to the open, so we were always honest with each other. My mother once even treated the Sand siblings as her children. The Invasion nearly ruined things and had it not been for those memories, I would have killed them all."

Mei blinked at the simple way in which he said it. Was there really no value to the life of a person before him? She didn't understand or know everything about him, but there was certainly a dark past there.

She chose not to think deeply about it. Instead, she focused on his relationship with the Sand siblings. "I'm surprised that someone like you – who has so much potential to be a menace had a past like that. It seems normal to me. If you were not a Jinchuriki, I'd really wonder where you got this frightening darkness that overshadows you."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "I think I have control over my emotions that I cannot display such negative emotions."

"I didn't say you can't but once you have looked inside, you can't ignore it. I'm sure everyone who has spent enough time around you has sensed this creeping feeling that a bottomless pit of hell resides somewhere inside of you"

"You make it sound scary." Naruto said, but there was a tone of indifference about him. "But that is something I will have to confront. My life has taken a rather telling twist that I'd not hoped for… It gets in the way of the plans. I must tread carefully from now on. However, there are still territories that I must walk for the sake of peace."

"Which are?"

"First up is Iwagakure. I have been on the lookout for the Tsuchikage's granddaughter but things have not been looking up nicely as I would like. I'd like to force it now by trying to convince Tsunade to set up a meeting with the Sandaime Tsuchikage. They will attempt to forge relations… I would take the side-lines with his granddaughter.

"My problem is that it hardly seems possible as things stand. Onoki would refuse going to Konoha and I doubt he has an interest in trying to forge something special with the Leaf."

"I'd be interested in trying to negotiate something with him. I just have to force him out of Iwa, right?" Mei smiled before adding. "But of course, you'd have to tell me everything. I doubt you are going to leave my side any time soon. I won't allow myself to be blindsided into anything and if I'm getting involved in things, I will do it in my terms."

For a moment, Naruto thought of taking those words as a challenge. He could play along just to see if she would really do things on her terms. He prided himself in being able to get around things, if Mei was able to do things as she pleased even when he was breathing down her neck, then it would mean he wasn't as great as he thought.

There would be no benefit in doing something like though and Naruto didn't entertain the idea any further.

"Kiri isn't the most strongest and its influence in the Elemental Nations is nothing… it still retains its standing as one of the great five, but due to the past blood shed, it is way past its glory days. For anything to progress, Iwa or Kumo is needed." Naruto said. "I will send you a message and then we will talk. For now, there is a snake that I must kill."

"Why are so fixated on killing Orochimaru?" Mei asked.

She understood the Sannin was an evil existence that terrorized many innocent lives and was a wanted criminal from Konoha. He was involved in the Sound Invasion as well as the death of the Sandaime Hokage – they would want him dead or brought to face the execution for his actions. However, since Orochimaru was a Sannin, Hunter-nin wouldn't really go after him because he would just kill them. A Kage ranked shinobi was not the one people actively hunted.

Naruto's thoughts regarding the infamous Sannin were clear to her – it was nothing more than bloody murder. Why was the blond like that when it came to Orochimaru? Did the Sannin do something to him that he feels that he must revenge? She shook her head; there was nothing in Naruto's voice that spelled vengeance, it was just clear intensions to kill. She could not figure out the reason for it.

"He is just one of the two people I hate." Naruto said in a calm tone. "Besides, he 'killed' the Sandaime Hokage. Despite our often schemes to get one over the other, the old man was really someone I liked. If I tell you that he was perhaps the only other person I liked aside from my mother I would not be lying. Had it not been for his excessive tricks and plots, I would have shed a tear in his death. There are a couple of things he offered to my life and had it not been for him, I would have lost hope in humanity long time ago."

Naruto paused, retreating to his thoughts as he reminisced the good old days he had those sparring sessions with the professor. They were not pleasant because he always lost, but it was an experience that did help him grow majestically.

"There have also been developments in my life that makes it hard for me to tolerate his existence. Perhaps it is paranoia but continuing to allow such a piece of trash to continue causing the pain it does and the damage it does to this beautiful world does not bode well with me."

For the hundredth time, Mei stared at the blond Uzumaki, thinking. There were things she was really learning about this person in front of her. She was not curious about the second person he hated. Still, she was once more again, surprised that he had such a past that seemed to hold some significance in a good way. It was really something else.

"This issue with Iwagakure," Mei said, moving away from the murderous talk about Orochimaru. "Why can't we discuss it now? As you said, Kiri doesn't have much influence and because it has been closed off due to the civil war, it is starved of allies. I want to see if it would be possible to get economic opportunities with Iwagakure, if not, it would be good to consider it an ally or just know where we stand with the village."

"So, you want to move things as well." Naruto said. "That is to be expected from a Kage who is a sly woman." He added with a smile.

"Sly?" Mei smiled. "Where did that come from?"

"You didn't rise to the top by being stupid, did you?"

It wasn't a bad thing that Mei was more capable in terms of wits than his dear Hokage Tsunade. The Slug Princess might be older, but her thinking was still not in the same level as the Mizukage. That didn't mean that Tsunade was easy to deal with. The woman knew when she was being misled and could respond violently to it – that was what made the difference between her and the Mizukage. Perhaps experience counted more for the Hokage.

"I think you're giving me more credit than I deserve." Mei said. "But I must say it is something else if it is being said by you of all people."

"You say things like that." Naruto said, his eyes firmly on the Mizukage. "What exactly do you think of me, Mei? What exactly has Tsunade been telling you about me?"

The woman smiled slyly and responded. "A couple of things… you are an interesting person." That was all she said before switching the subject. "Shall we discuss the Iwagakure issue before you leave?"

Naruto stared for a moment before nodding.

 **Konohagakure**

 **Hokage Office**

Tsunade stared at the blank paper in front of her, thinking of what she would be writing. The other presence before her didn't make her thoughts all the clearer. Even though it was just a clone – the clone that brought her back – Naruto would always make sure that her mind wasn't free of any thoughts. Of course, these days she has stopped trying to figure out what he could be plotting and thinking – any thoughts were just a fruitless pursuit that gave her headaches.

The Godaime Hokage sighed as she stared away from the blank sheet before her and looked at Naruto. "You never told me why you remained in Kiri."

"A few things to settle." Naruto said. "Aside from that, I have come to here to get both Ino and Sasuke. As part of her training, she needs to follow when Orochimaru is paid a visit. Sai has been following a trail, trying to get a lock on Orochimaru."

He had told her that she would need to tag along and witness what the world is like out there. There were things that one needed to learn through experience. For her growth, she needed to learn those things. Maybe Orochimaru was a little too much for her and there was no guarantee that she could be safe, but those dangerous situations taught shinobi how to survive more than any training could.

"You can leave with Sasuke, but now with Ino." Tsunade said in a tone of finality. "I don't doubt that you and Sasuke can handle Orochimaru by yourselves, but Ino is no way in that level. Even if she is just going to be watching, there is the danger of her getting caught up. No matter what you say, I cannot justify putting her life in any danger."

Naruto raised an eye brow at this and considered giving reasons or perhaps doing things a little more forceful but he could not risk trying to infuriate the woman. He was building a fine relationship with the Godaime Hokage; there was no reason to screw that over something simple.

He could simply nod and accept that the woman was not allowing him to indulge himself this one time.

He would make it an issue if she continues to do so, but he could let this pass. "As you say."

The response caught the Slug Princess off-guard because she was definitely not expecting him to give in like that.

Seeing the Hokage's surprise, Naruto responded. "I'm not going to fight you over every little thing. I'm not the boss; just a shinobi with ambitions."

Tsunade simply shook her head. "Bring back Orochimaru's head… that shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"

"I'm not there will be anything left of him when we are done."

 **Two days later**

It never occurred to Naruto that Obito would decide to show up before him. No, he had always thought that he would have to hunt the man before to bring him to his court for judgement. The Uchiha wasn't irrelevant by any means. He was a person that Naruto has had so much desire to strangle to death from the moment he knew what had transpired the night he was born into this world.

It was really a mystery why he never expected the man to appear before him though. Obito had been pushing Nagato to hunt down Jinchurikis, and he was also a container. The man would obviously have some interest in him. Not to mention, he did try to kill him the night of his birth.

If there was someone to resent, it had to be this man, right?

This fake Madara had not only tried to kill him, but he had caused his mother to go through excruciating pain by extracting the Kyubi for her. Not to mention, the man had been responsible for the death of his father. He was the one who caused the chain of events to unfold the way they did. Had it not been for this man, he would have had a normal childhood.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Obito started calmly. He was sitting on a tree branch, feet swinging slowly. "What did you say to Nagato? How did you and Jiraiya manage to turn Nagato against me?"

It was apparent that Nagato had betrayed him along with Konan, but for the moment, he wasn't doing anything because he wanted to understand what had truly happenned. He had never thought that Nagato would end up betraying him. But it has happened and from his last conversation with the man, there wasn't going to be any changes to the stance, especially when it seems that the man has become slightly alive.

He was wondering what the man was going to do from now on but there was nothing that was coming out of Nagato. He wasn't going to use force, not now at least. Even so, he still had the Bijuus with him, the only thing he did not have was control over the Gedo Mazo.

For that to happen, he had to take the Rinnegan from Nagato. It would not be simple but he would have to it soon because he could not wait any longer. The longer he waited, the more complicated it would become to make the plans come true.

Naruto took a single step forward, looking up at the man he hated. It was a little troubling to try to hold back his emotions when looking at the man. Naruto shook his head; he needed to calm himself before he did something unthinkable or unbecoming of him.

"Nothing that you need to know." Naruto stated calmly. "I'm a little surprised that you were able to use Nagato, despite all his power. Well, you're not completely helpless yourself."

Obito looked down for a moment, sizing up the blond Uzumaki. Naruto's strength was something that not even Zetsu could clearly say was this level. There were flashes of brilliance every now then, but even then, it has never looked as if the Uzumaki was giving his all in any fight. It was something that made Obito wary, because he could not judge Naruto's power; he could not determine that amount of effort he would need to deal with the blond Uzumaki.

"I didn't ever think that Nagato would betray me, which makes me curious in learning what you said to him." Obito stated calmly. "But it doesn't look as if you're going to tell me anything." The Uchiha paused for a moment before changing the subject. "At the moment, there is still time to do damage control. To subdue you, we don't have to fight. Nagato is the only opponent I will fight if he insists on following this traitorous path."

Naruto narrowed his eyes ever so slightly: now, those were some dangerous words coming from the man before him. If this person was saying that he didn't have to fight him to get what he wants, it meant that he had other means to get things done. This other way wasn't a way that Naruto knew and that made him uncomfortable.

"I know that you are cable of a lot of things and perhaps you even think that you can take me on, but you have one weakness…" Obito stated in a cold tone. "Your heart; it is perhaps true to say you tolerate other people living around you, people that aren't in your group. From what I have observed, you have no shed of care for the other people. However, you have devoted yourself to loving your mother, and now you are about to be a father. If you value them, you will stay away from Nagato."

When he finished speaking, the man swirled away in a black vortex.

 **About two hours later**

Sasuke was sitting on a tree branch just within the borders of the River country. Both his feet were slowly moving along with the wind; there was a tone of impatience about him as he waited for Naruto to appear before him. The blond hadn't given a specific location but the Uchiha believed Naruto was sharp enough to track him down, especially when he wasn't making an attempt to hide his chakra signature.

He has been waiting for a couple of hours, waiting.

The last time the blond went out to Orochimaru, he had been alone and he hadn't achieved anything except confirm that there was an Uzumaki living with the Snake Sannin.

Sasuke sighed impatiently; his body was already itching to face someone strong as the snake Sannin. Naruto wasn't going to take all the fun away from him: when it came to fights the blond wasn't like that. At least that was a part he didn't dislike about Naruto.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes sensing a powerful movement of chakra. It took a couple of seconds for him to recognize Naruto's chakra signature; he didn't know Naruto allowed his chakra to ooze in such a way. The blond always hid his chakra. Only naturally born sensors could tell of the wealth of power Naruto has at his disposal. He had power, but he has never felt the need to reveal it to people.

When Naruto landed on a tree close to his; Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Naruto was exuding a malicious feeling that honestly made a part of him nervous. Naruto could be insulted and faced with dangerous situations but he wasn't the kind of person who allowed his killing Intent to leak. Even if it did leak, it would only be small dozes that many would not even notice.

There has been a general consensus amongst the elite in Konoha that Naruto was a dangerous person. Sasuke frowned at that thought: His mother never says something like that; she has always said that Naruto was a good person deep down. A few say there was a bottomless pit of evil deep inside of Naruto and really, Sasuke believed this over what his mother says.

"You're late…" The Uchiha said to Naruto. "But considering that you're leaking your killing Intent, I will assume something came up along the way."

But what could be that would get the blond worked up like this? If it had something to do with his mother's safety, then Sasuke could understand perfectly. Even so, Naruto rarely wore his emotions on his face.

"I met an intolerable cockroach along the way…" Naruto said. For the first time since appearing, his eyes met with Sasuke's. "You're in good condition. We are going to do battle, if you're not fully healed, you may turn back. I will be fine. Today, I wouldn't have a problem crushing a trash."

Sasuke stared at those cold blue eyes that reflected a murderous intent. "I'm in a good condition." The Uchiha said. "What happened? This is unlike you, Naruto."

Naruto didn't offer an immediate response. He calmed himself before breathing in. "There is usually a harmless mask that is sold to people." Naruto said to Sasuke. "I came across a certain Uchiha. I guess I have never told you about this, but you should know since you spent much time with your brother."

"The one who recruited my brother to the Akatsuki and responsible for the Kyubi's rampage?" Sasuke asked.

Sasuke knew about that; his brother had told him everything about the Uchiha massacre and all the players involved in it. Naruto's hatred for his fellow Uchiha shouldn't be surprising though. It wasn't that Naruto hated the Uchiha in general. That bad apple that ruined Naruto's chances of a happy life was perhaps the only person that Naruto knows how to hate.

However, it was apparent that the hatred was too deep. Sasuke didn't even know how deep it went but it was obvious that if was something frightening. If that leaking killing intent was anything to go by, then the blond had some murderous thoughts that would shatter the images of the good Naruto some people had.

In response to Sasuke, Naruto nodded. "But this isn't the matter we should focus on... Orochimaru is the person we must get rid of… Sai is currently on a mission to rescue Karin in one of Orochimaru's hideouts in the Sound. We are to rid of the snake." The blond said calmly.

Sasuke managed to smile – a somewhat wicked smile. He was looking forward to a bloody dance of death. Ever since his battle with Naruto he hasn't had anything challenging. Then again, Tsunade had refused to fully heal the wound on his knee. Perhaps it had been some sort of a punishment of starting a fight with Naruto. Regardless, his anger had to be understood and they had come to an understanding.

It was rather surprising learning that Tsunade was taking Naruto's side though. It wasn't a secret that the Godaime didn't fully trust Naruto. Well, if you were not in his circle, trusting the blond was a naïve mistake. Naruto could screw you over without even blinking an eye.

It was the sort of feeling that confirmed that even though Naruto had ended up using the Kyubi's power in their emotional battle; he hadn't fought with all his strength. There can be no doubt that the blond hadn't been in his right mind that day.

Sasuke jumped from the tree and landed down the ground. "What are we waiting for?" He asked as he began moving forward.

"You're going to the wrong direction." Naruto said to the Uchiha. "Orochimaru is within a hideout about an hour of travel from here, heading straight to your left. Sai says he has been conducting some experiments around this place. It is apparently much easier to kidnap people from a land that doesn't have a major shinobi village protecting it."

When he said those words, Naruto started taking the lead. For the moment, he cared not for the experiments and the poor humans who became victim of Orochimaru. It was a little sad considering that they may have been those good humans who were innocent of malice until the snake appeared. Now, they would have eternal scars that would remind them of the horrors they faced. Such pitiful people should be allowed to die than allowed to live a life of misery.

Naruto shook his head. Perhaps it was the hatred speaking. When he was being like this, those dark thoughts that sometimes made him fear for what he would become if he got pushed to the edges of the darkness that resided somewhere inside his heart.

"Well, Orochimaru would not want to work where there would be disturbances. I wonder what kind of horrors he is doing…' Sasuke then shrugged, realizing that he didn't care what the snake Sannin was doing. "Are you going to fight?"

"If I wasn't going to fight, I wouldn't be here…" Naruto said in a flat tone. "Besides, I feel like breaking a few bones today. Perhaps that will calm this bubbling killing intent."

"Oh, you are aware that you are leaking a killing intent." Sasuke said. "I have to say, it is frightening. There are intents that make you have that feeling of death, looking at you with these eyes of mine, all I see is eternal darkness."

Naruto chose to ignore those words from Sasuke. "How were things when you left the Hidden Leaf? I've been away for a week…" His clone hadn't spoken to anyone other than Sasuke and the Godaime Hokage.

Sasuke eyed Naruto for a moment before looking at the way ahead. He did not miss the fact that Naruto ignored his statement about the darkness he was hiding. It wasn't something Sasuke was willing to drop easily. Yet, there was something about Naruto's question that made him curious.

"No problems with our mothers'" Sasuke responded calmly. "You have certainly grown; being able to go away and not even ask about your mother. Well, children are supposed to grow."

It was quite laughable just thinking of how much of a mother's boy the blond Uzumaki had been when he was younger. Sasuke wasn't laughing but the thought was amusing. Things have changed now and the blond could move about the village and his business without turning back to see if his mother was still in one piece. Perhaps it was the paranoia that had been troubling him then. You couldn't take away that the villagers hadn't been fond of the Uzumakis then and he had heard that a couple of stones had been thrown into their house.

A miserable life mother and son had to go through. Well, this was the reason they have had to be together. He had to live in pain with his mother knowing that his dear brother had killed their father and many members of their clan. He was still beside the blond because he could not forget what he had done for his clan. Itachi had made it abundantly clear, so did his mother that had it not been for the blond's intervention, he would have been a very lonely person.

"There is nothing to worry about these days. Before then, I had to worry about the villagers…" Naruto said.

A trick from the fake Madara had troubled him but going back home wasn't going to solve anything. If anything, it didn't appear as if the man was going to do anything. Even so, he wasn't the least happy with what the man had said. Honestly, he had been incensed, still was.

Things have admittedly changed though; he still looked at his mother above all things, but there was the thing with Mikoto. Honestly, Naruto didn't know how he was going to handle that situation when the child is born. His affections would be split in many more ways than one. He still had Yugao to attend to. He was not used to having many people in his life. One or two was fine for him because his capacity to love wasn't that big.

The Uzumaki shook his head; he didn't have to think of such things now, he had to think about how he would remove Orochimaru from the face of this world and not leave a damn trace of him.

"I guess that is a thing of the past now; they have slightly changed… I have my own thoughts about that and still undecided on what I really want to do…" Sasuke said with a sigh. The clan was moving steadily and he would have to step up one day to lead it. His mother could still look after it without any problems. "Are you not going to comment about this darkness that creeps behind you?"

Naruto eyed Sasuke for a moment before asking. "Why do you want to know about it? It has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me; the moment you became friends with my brother, our lives became bound. If you're plotting something, I have to decide whether to back you up and kill you if it is necessary."

Naruto's lips curled up into an amused smile. "I wonder if you really can kill me, Sasuke. The perfect Susano'o is indeed a massive weapon of destruction, but I can still outlast you in any battle. Well, I'm not arrogant enough to think that I cannot be defeated, but I would really have to give up for you to kill me. I wouldn't mind using my lifespan to survive…"

IF it had been a couple of years ago, Sasuke would have lashed out at the blond for looking down at him like that but there was no way he could not spot the bitter tone in Naruto's voice. He was calmer now and thought before he acted, and so he didn't take Naruto's words to heart. Of course, he couldn't help but scoff – it was a reflex response.

"Well, you never want to reveal yourself, no matter what but I have seen your capabilities. It isn't just the raw power alone that makes you powerful but mental strength…"

"Have you considered that I have shown all my abilities but pretend to have more just for effect?" Naruto asked. "There is nothing more that the human mind fears than the unknown. Unless you're dealing with an extremist junky who prefers the rush of blood over straight battles." Naruto paused before taking up the trees – Sasuke followed and they started hopping through the way. "I never battle for entertainment but for purpose. Meaningless battles promote nothing more than violence."

Once more Sasuke scoffed; he really didn't buy a thing the Uzumaki had just said. "For someone who has always been violent, that is rather amusing coming from you. You just restrict yourself because of your fears… You're a cold hearted person who has no care for human life."

Naruto raised an eyebrow hearing those words. "You, accusing me of being cold-hearted? That is rather ironic." The Uzumaki said. "To say I have no care for human life is an exaggeration. I am here because of feelings, you can look at it in other way you want… Have you been talking to my mother or Yugao?"

"What makes you think I have?"

"My mother it is… You sitting with Yugao is unthinkable." Naruto said. "My mother understands me in ways nobody does. Of course, she tries to act ignorant at times, but we have been together, I have always tried to be honest with her. When I reveal the whole truth, she will know because she knows me and is my mother…" Naruto trailed off before halting his movements. "We are here…" His tone had changed drastically. "Perhaps it is my mind playing tricks on me, but I can sense the snake nearby."

Before Sasuke could respond, Orochimaru spoke. "That is because the snake is here…" the sannin said. "You're late; I have been waiting for you for a few days now." The snake was leaning against a tree's trunk, hands folded across his chest. He was standing as calmly as he could, an aura of confidence seeping out of him in abundance.

When Sasuke saw the sannin; his eyes narrowed dangerously as the Sharingan flared to life. With how good of a sensor he had become, he would have thought that Orochimaru wouldn't have been able to sneak up on them like that. He hadn't sensed a damn thing, not until the Sannin spoke. He wasn't concerned about whether the blond Uzumaki beside him had sensed the sannin or not but by the looks of things, he hadn't either. Well, Orochimaru was known for his ability to hide.

This was just perfect anyway; they didn't have to waste energy destroying the snake's hideout to draw him out. With him out in the open, they could just get this over with this. Had it been a couple of years ago, Sasuke would have charged at the Sannin without even thinking. He was a little excited and he didn't want Naruto to take up all the fun… but now he had grown. There was no need to act recklessly.

"There were a couple of things that had to be sorted out." Naruto responded calmly. "It appears that you were aware that Sai was watching you and did manage to get your message across."

Naruto would not suspect Sai of being a traitor; if he'd thought that, he would have killed the former Ne agent. Thoughts of doubts were dangerous and could lead to some disastrous actions. It just wasn't surprising that Orochimaru would know about this. Orochimaru could not be underestimated despite being an arrogant person – he was still dangerous and to take away that from him would just be playing a suicide game with the god of death.

"What did you expect? I can smell one of Danzo's toys from miles away…" Orochimaru said.

"Why did you let him go away?"

Orochimaru shrugged. "There was no fun in killing him and he had no value as a useful experiment." The Sannin stated. "Besides, I was waiting for you. I have been itching to meet you again, Naruto-kun. Last time, I had to leave the party a little early because I had other engagements. But I am now fully prepared to entertain you." The Sannin said with a wide and confident grin.

Naruto stared at the grin for a long moment before shaking his head; this was Orochimaru they were dealing with, he must have done something to be this confident. Last time he ran way, but now he was ready to have a dance? There was something and that was a warning to be extra careful. The snake was an arrogant person, no doubt, but that didn't mean he wasn't harmless. Far from it, if given the chance, Orochimaru could poison you to death and that was something he had to guard against.

The blond Uzumaki jumped from the tree before landing on the ground gracefully.

In taking his steps towards the snake sannin, Naruto suddenly disappeared in a blur, leaving nothing but small dust in his wake. He appeared right in front of Orochimaru in the blink of an eye; the Sannin didn't look surprised in seeing the Uzumaki travel so fast; he had a wide grin on his face, blood red eyes of the Sharingan in both eye sockets. Naruto showed no surprise in seeing those blood red eyes. It was understandable seeing them – it could only be the reason the snake felt so confident in facing both of them.

That wasn't the only thing Orochimaru displayed that was new; Naruto's index finger that had moved with speed, pointing towards the snake Sannin's chest was blocked by a small shield of pink crystal. This was the only thing that made Naruto tilt his head to the side in contemplation but there was no shock in his eyes.

"Interesting," Naruto said in a measured tone. "I never thought that you would implant such power in you Orochimaru. But then again, you are no longer qualified to be called a human." The blond Uzumaki said.

Orochimaru merely chuckled. He sounded way too happy for someone who was just told he was no longer a human. Of course, Orochimaru didn't care a bit what Naruto said about him? Who was the blond to him? Naruto was just a brat he wanted to use for a test run for his new power. He didn't care about anything else. Naturally, there was no lack of confidence in his part – he was sure he could these two just fine.

"I'm not surprised," he said of Naruto's lack of shock over his additions. "I am surprised about your killing intent though. I have never felt such a sinister feeling coming from you, Naruto-kun. You have always been a controlled brat who hardly displays his intensions. But now you're clearly showing that you want to murder me… do you hate me that much? Is it because I killed the Sandaime?"

Naruto stared at the snake Sannin for a long minute before shrugging indifferently. "At this stage, it doesn't matter. I can only answer a question in which you want to know if I think you will be dead by the end of the day." The blond's tone was cold and firm.

Orochimaru only found amusement in Naruto's response. He didn't get chance to respond to the blond as Sasuke finally appeared.

The Uchiha moved as fast as lightning. There was electricity flowing through the palm of his right hand as he appeared by Naruto's right side: he was slightly above the ground, a Chidori flashing towards Orochimaru's chest.

Orochimaru was quick to react to the attack. His Sharingan may be implanted, but it still worked like how any Sharingan works. The Sannin's response was to enlarge his crystal shield to block Sasuke's jutsu. He did have a plan in case the jutsu failed to block the attack. If it failed, it would still give him enough time to speed away from both teenagers who appeared ready to kill him.

He wasn't going to make it easy for them. He had no intensions of being defeated here today – he didn't even think it was a possibility. Both were impressive but still not enough, at least that is what he thought.

Naruto reacted to Sasuke's attack by activating his jutsu. His finger had still been on the Sannin's crystal shield. The extending blade did not fail him even this time around. It still managed to pierce through the crystal in blinding speed.

Seeing the attacks coming with his Sharingan, Orochimaru tried to move back a little. Although the extending blade managed to pierce through the crystal shield, it did not shatter it. Sasuke's Chidori did the trick when it collided with it.

Before the crystal even shattered, Naruto's jutsu had already hit Orochimaru on the right side of his chest. He may have sensed the attack, but he still could not do anything to avoid it. The speed of the attack was just a blur that even the damned Sharingan couldn't track down fast enough before it hit him.

The Sannin didn't make a pained sound or even twitch when Naruto's jutsu pierced through him: he just brushed it aside and turned his attention on Sasuke's lightning jutsu. The snake didn't wait for the jutsu to him, he simply crumbled into dust.

Sasuke didn't stop in his momentum but didn't hit the Tree that Orochimaru had been leaning against. He managed to control his movements splendidly before the jutsu dispersed as he landed gracefully by Naruto's side.

"I can't believe that even the likes of you has his hands on the Sharingan …" Sasuke said, turning around to face Orochimaru who materialized behind the two. There was nothing but disgust in the Uchiha's tone.

Orochimaru shrugged indifferently. "Naruto-kun has the Sharingan. It might not be implanted but he has them in his possession and I am not talking about Shisui's eyes. These are the eyes of someone very close to you, Sasuke-kun."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "It seems that Kabuto is very effective in gathering Intelligence." The blond said. He then sighed, reigning down on his killing intent. He wasn't going to focus clearly with his little emotions boiling. It was best that he get rid of the negative emotions that were overflowing.

"Sasuke; this must not take long; You can go all out at any moment and don't worry about getting me in the crossfire. Just attack and I will watch my back." Naruto said those before running towards the snake sannin.

He didn't wish to spend all day fighting Orochimaru; there was no time to do that nor did he have the patience to do it. He just wanted to get rid of Orochimaru. It didn't have to be painful just death. Besides, the junky wasn't someone who would falter by simply being broken to pieces – just knowing that he was going to die would be enough. Orochimaru coveted his life about all things. His years of experiments have been influenced by the desire to live a longer life.

Orochimaru merely watched carefully as Naruto neared him within seconds; his Sharingan could see the movements clearly. Even though the blond had proved to be truly fast, he could see him this time around. Besides, this was the first time he was fighting with the Sharingan against such powerful shinobi. It would be a good test run to test his limits.

When Naruto reached the Sannin, both his feet touched down the ground just inches away from the Sannin before he blurred away from existence. Orochimaru didn't widen his eyes in shock over the speed the blond used when moving behind him but he had tried to move along as he tracked the movements with his Sharingan.

But before he could fully face the blond Uzumaki, he sensed something from behind; Sasuke was charging towards him at full speed, the Mangekyo Sharingan activated. He looked as if he was going to attack but then he suddenly jumped up into the air.

" **Amaterasu!"**

The jet black flames lit to life around the snake sannin's body. The flames covered his entire body, causing the sannin to let out a slight shriek of pain as the flames started to slowly consume his flesh. The pain, it was unlike anything he had experienced before after being hit by a fire jutsu. This was a jutsu above others and he knew he could not extinguish the flames.

The Sannin opened his mouth wide; hands started to pop from the mouth and the Sannin's head started to follow soon. It was a somewhat disgusting sight, if Naruto could say, but he didn't show his emotions on his expression as he watched on.

Sasuke didn't allow the Sannin to recover from his jutsu. He quickly formed hand seals before expelling a large ball of flames from his mouth. "Katon: Great Fire Ball no Jutsu!" The large ball sped towards the sannin – who was still busy trying to shed his skin. The flames hit the sannin before exploding into a column of intense flames. The flames stayed alive for about a minute before Naruto waved his right hand, released gusts of winds that blasted them away.

There was no sign of Orochimaru anywhere.

Naruto felt something and tried to twist around but his movements were halted when his feet were engulfed by crystal. Orochimaru flashed in front of him and delivered a brutal right punch to the gut. The punch slammed into Naruto with speed and power, causing the blond to slide back a little after spitting out a handful of saliva.

Orochimaru wasn't done with his assault on the blond; he twisted around, flashing his right foot into the air. He directed it towards Naruto's temple, but it did not reach the blond Uzumaki. Sasuke suddenly appeared and caught the kick with his right hand, just like that.

"You're not the only who can see future movements Orochimaru." The Uchiha spat out the name before lightning currents burst from his hand, with a cracking sound. Within a blink of an eye, Orochimaru's entire body was being electrified by the lightning. Sasuke didn't let up in his charge and Orochimaru felt his body numb. He could only bite his tongue as the pain shot through his body.

A testament of the amount of chakra Sasuke had put behind his jutsu became visible when Orochimaru's body started to release smoke as if it was being cooked.

Naruto held out his right hand quickly and summoned his blade; he swung it towards Orochimaru's head. The Sannin still managed to raise his left hand to try to block the fast swing from Naruto but it did nothing. The wind enhanced swing cut through Orochimaru's hand, before cutting cleanly through his neck, separating it from the shoulders.

" **Katon: Dragon's Breath**!" the second Naruto cut through Orochimaru's neck, Sasuke released his jutsu – only after letting of the sannin's foot go. The jutsu flashed through towards Orochimaru's body in point blank range causing both him and Naruto to jump away from the flames.

Naruto looked down at his feet; he frowned when he looked at the crystal. He suddenly shook his head before the crystal shattered and he turned his focus towards Orochimaru.

"You think we got him?" Sasuke asked.

The answer came quickly when crystal blades came blasting through the air, heading straight towards the two teenagers. Sasuke quickly summoned his Susanno to shield himself from the projectiles. Naruto just burst into a murder of crows; the crows flew into high ground to avoid the attack. The projectiles collided into the Susanoo but failed to break through the defence.

Orochimaru frowned looking at that ninjutsu; his experiments were not yet complete; he needed to experiment more in order to be able to use more of the Sharingan's power. Besides that, his current body though powerful still could not contain all his power. Guren was a good host but the addition of the Sharingan was putting a strain on the body. If he received more damaging hits, he may have to start looking for a new host soon.

"I underestimated you two." Orochimaru said. "Then again, I did not expect to be fighting both of you."

"Well, arrogance has always been your greatest weapon." Naruto said, charging towards the snake sannin with his blade in hand.

Once he arrived, he swung it in a downward slash, aimed at Orochimaru's right shoulder. The Sannin produced a shield of crystal to block the swing before raising his right hand towards Naruto's face. " **Many Hidden Snakes**!" Orochimaru shouted as multiple snakes burst toward Naruto's face.

It was such a close distance and a little unexpected. Yet, Naruto managed to take in some air before spitting bullets of wind towards the snakes whilst jumping back. A couple of the bullets collided with the snakes, making them burst into a shower of blood; some entered through the mouth's hung open and burst through around Orochimaru's hand.

The moment he landed, Naruto folded his hands across his head as he sensed movement from Orochimaru. Speedily, the sannin had cut the distance between them, having abandoned his attack. He appeared right above Naruto, flashing a right foot towards the blond's temple.

The kick connected head on with Naruto's defence, but the blond did not move a muscle, he held firmly forcing Orochimaru to jump back.

Before he could even touch the ground, Sasuke was right upon him, Chidori chirping on the palm of his right hand. The Uchiha didn't hide his grin when he drove the jutsu straight towards Orochimaru's gut but before he could celebrate another hit, Orochimaru crumbled into dust.

The Uchiha frowned before gracefully landing on the ground whilst his eyes were scanning his surrounding for the sannin. It was ridiculous; he couldn't sense the sannin nor could he see him from anywhere. He could not have run off, could he? If not, how could he hide from the two of them after all the damage he has taken?

Thoughts didn't go any further as a large snake burst into the scene in a large puff of smoke. "You brought me here to fight these brats?" Manda demanded from Orochimaru – who was standing at the top of the large snake, trying to recover some of his energy. This was proving to be a lot more troubling than he had expected.

"They are proving to be a troublesome bunch." Orochimaru said. "Just keep them company for a couple of minutes and I will reward you afterwards. You know I always do as I promise."

"That is because you know I will eat you if you don't." Manda snapped.

"Kukukukukukuku…" Orochimaru merely laughed at that.

Seeing the large snake, Naruto looked at Sasuke before he started walking. "Sasuke," he started. "Orochimaru wants to keep us busy with that thing; I don't have a general fondness of snakes and as I said, this should not take long. Release Amaterasu and I will finish it. For such a large target, even if it is able to sense the build-up of power, it should not be able to avoid the flames."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes towards Naruto at that little piece of information. "I didn't know you could sense it."

"I never said." Naruto said holding out his right hand.

Sasuke didn't respond, he focused on the giant snake that was now charging towards him. The giant snake looked as if it wanted to swallow him whole, but Sasuke jumped out of the way, avoiding its sharp fangs. The Uchiha charged to a distance and turning around. As he did, Manda was right on his tail.

He quickly activated his Susano'o as the snake neared him. The summon slammed into Sasuke's Susanno. There was so much power in the strike that Sasuke was pushed back quite a distance by the strike. But the Susanoo held on and the Uchiha didn't mind it one bit.

"A **materasu**!" Sasuke put as much chakra as he could in the jutsu just so he could hit most of the snake's body. He didn't want to just hit a small part. The usage of the chakra left him feeling its effects but he did not let it show.

Orochimaru was nowhere near Manda as he shrieked, tossing and turning violently when the flames started to burn it slowly. The movements were so violent that it slammed some trees along the way.

Naruto did not worry, even though it was moving around a lot, he could still hit it with his next jutsu. It had enough speed to catch the snake. His next jutsu was already screeching loudly around his hand, spinning with frightening speed and power. The blond dashed towards the dancing snake to get some momentum before hurling the RasenShuriken. The jutsu flashed through the air and within seconds, it collided with Manda.

Boom!

The Wind style jutsu exploded in a fiery show of force the moment it collided with the snake. There were visible black flames around the column to flashing wind blades piercing through the snake. Manda didn't last for a minute before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, but it was too late.

Orochimaru was right behind the blond; the sword of Kusanagi was driven towards the blond's back. Naruto did just enough to shift to his right to avoid the blade piercing through his back, but it still managed to pierce through his left shoulder, drawing out blood.

"Kukukukuku!" Orochimaru burst out laughing, saying finally, he had landed a hit.

Naruto flashed away from Orochimaru, and landed beside Sasuke. He looked down at his bleeding right hand with an expressionless mask on his face. He considered using the Kyubi's chakra to heal the wound, but decided against it. The more he used the chakra for those purposes the more he reduced his life span. He would allow this one to heal naturally.

"That was rather careless of you." Sasuke said to Naruto in a cold tone.

"Yes," Naruto said, not denying it. "We should end it before he gets more confident in his abilities. I will give you an opening to hit. I don't need to remind you that you need to act in a second."

Sasuke didn't need Naruto to spell exactly what he must do to land a good on Naruto; he already knew what he needed to do and all he needed was Naruto to destruct Orochimaru long enough for him to hit. If Naruto was someone weaker, he would have doubts in the ability to hold back the Sannin knowing exactly that Orochimaru would figure that he was up to something.

But Naruto was capable of fighting Orochimaru on his own, if he got into the mood.

For a moment, Sasuke watched Naruto's giants steps as he walked towards Orochimaru. His blade was already held firmly on his right hand. The Uchiha could tell, the blond wasn't going to give Orochimaru a moment to rest. The Sannin would not have the time to search for him.

Without thinking about anything further, Sasuke disappeared a flash.

Orochimaru tilted his head to the side, the never-ending grin on his lips. "I could disrupt whatever Sasuke is planning to do by going after him instead of waiting here to be held up by you."

Still walking towards the sannin, Naruto responded calmly. "Try it." His voice was just deathly cold.

Orochimaru blinked, a little surprised by the coldness in Naruto's tone. There was undeniable confidence in the blond's tone. It made Orochimaru curious enough to crumble into dust in an attempt to chase after Sasuke and maybe see just what a serious Naruto could do.

The blond Uzumaki vanished along with gusts of winds – the movement was instant almost as he had just flashed away. He appeared a small distance away in front of a running Orochimaru. the sannin was speeding through the ground gracefully to avoid detention. His expression only showed a grin when Naruto flashed in front of him.

"Wind Style: Great Wind Breakthrough!" The Sannin released a blast of wind in an instant. It was as if he had expected the blond to appear in front of him. The wind jutsu blasted through the ground before slamming into the Uzumaki. The moment it did, Naruto burst into an explosion of flames. Coupled with the gusts of wind, the flames burnt wildly for a couple of seconds before dying down along with the gusts of wind.

Orochimaru twirled around when he sensed Naruto's presence coming from behind. The blond had his sword from the right in a horizontal flash. Orochimaru quickly turned and aligned his sword on the side to block Naruto's sword. The swords clashed, creating sparks.

Orochimaru's neck extended inhumanly before diving towards Naruto with his mouth wide open. If anything, it appeared as if he wanted to swallow the blond. Naruto bent backwards slightly whilst holding out his left hand, covered in wind chakra. His attacker's face slammed into Naruto's palm which was protected by a shield of wind.

The sannin retreated quickly; Naruto was on the attack when he did. The blond retreated his blade and twisted around along the wind. The movement was fast and swift. Orochimaru could only cross his hands just above him when his Sharingan predicated the attack. Naruto's right foot slammed into the defence, but there was much power than what the Sannin had anticipated, he ended up being sent flying backwards.

Orochimaru only flew for a second before twisting twice to regain his balance. Before he could even land on the ground, Naruto was already above him, Rasengan on the left hand, charging towards his head. Orochimaru countered by slashing sword towards the Jutsu, knowing that it was powerful enough to block the A-rank jutsu.

The jutsu never collided with the sword as it suddenly dispersed. Naruto's sword flashed through the space in blinding speed. It didn't take a second to reach the sannin, and when it did, it cut through him but Orochimaru suddenly turned into log.

The sannin next appeared just above Naruto, his sword extending amazingly towards Naruto's form. Naruto reacted by throwing his sword towards the snake Sannin. When Orochimaru's hit Naruto, the blond burst into a murder of crows before the blade retracted. Orochimaru avoided Naruto's blade, but as it passed him, the blond suddenly flashed just above him. The **snake Sannin felt something cold at the back of his neck.**

" **Extending Blade** "

The jutsu pierced through the back of Orochimaru's neck in a flash. Its extension had been big enough for to reach down the ground. Naruto disappeared away from Orochimaru – who allowed his body to hit the ground before slowly getting up. He held out his hand, his neck bleeding.

Before he could do anything, Naruto appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the face. He picked up the Sannin and lightning burst out, shocking him. Naruto then slammed Orochimaru into the ground.

When Naruto made the distance with Orochimaru, the snake got up from the ground, his throat still bleeding but he had a grin on his lips. The grin turned into a full-blown laughter.

"Hahahahahahaha!" Orochimaru laughed madly. "I never actually though that you'd catch me in an illusion, Naruto. Especially with the Sharingan." He grinned. "This isn't a normal illusion, is it? Yes, demonic illusion. The kind that the Nidaime created specifically for the Uchiha. What's the trigger?"

"Eye contact but my chakra must be directly inserted into your body to mess with all your senses." Naruto explained calmly. "I did that in the first attack when I pierced through you with my jutsu."

"Then, what can it do? You're not moving to atta-" Orochimaru was cut off when an arrow blasted through the side of his head, creating a huge hole in it. The arrow burst through but did not take Orochimaru along with it when it did so. The sannin blinked, but could not master any response.

What?

As Orochimaru started to fall down the ground, Naruto spoke. "Everything with shinobi hitches with the ability to think to be able to escape death. Uchiha don't need that nevertheless. As long as they program their Sharingans to rewrite reality, they can escape death. Orochimaru, you are not Uchiha."

" **Amaterasu** " Once more, Sasuke activated the black flames, engulfing Orochimaru.

Naruto turned to the Uchiha. "I was still talking."

Sasuke shrugged. "You never know with Orochimaru." When he was saying that, he stabbed a lightning kunai through the Sannin's chest. "You lied; Orochimaru wasn't in a genjutsu. Your chakra was moving inside his chakra system though."

"I didn't say he was; he just assumed he was." Naruto said indifferently. "What's with the Kunai?"

"If you don't make sure he stays down, he could suddenly burst into a large snake. At least this lightning ensures he doesn't move." The Uchiha looked down for a moment. "How do we kill him? He's still alive and could regenerate."

"Turn him to ash."

 **End of chapter**

 **Happy New Year, ya all.**

 **I've finally finished this chapter. Took me long to write but finally it has come. I had a struggle in writing the last scene. I did not have a clear image of the whole fight and writing it was truly difficult. Over the past four weeks, it had looked as if I would not be able to write it. But I was finally able to take a few notes.**

 **I don't know how long we have until the story ends. It really can go a long way but I cannot tell at this stage given my lack of regular updates. It might even end at a point I feel I can no longer continue with it. But at the moment, I still feel I have ideas in me to keep going. There's still a lot to write about.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


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